Week of August 6, 2006

The Rockstar tradition of groundbreaking, original gameplay and humorous
tongue-in-cheek storytelling invades an entirely new setting: the schoolyard.

As a mischievous schoolboy, you’ll stand up to bullies, get picked on by teachers, play pranks, win or lose the girl, and ultimately learn to navigate the obstacles of the worst school around, Bullworth Academy - a corrupt and crumbling prep school with an uptight facade.

The story follows Jimmy Hopkins, a teenager who’s been expelled from every school he’s ever attended. Left to fend for himself after his mother abandons him at Bullworth to go on her fifth honeymoon, Jimmy has a whole year at Bullworth ahead of him, working his way up the social ladder of this demented institution of supposed learning, standing up for what he thinks is right and taking on the liars, cheats and snobs who are the most popular members of the student body and faculty. If Jimmy can survive the school year and outsmart his rivals, he could rule the school.

Ready yourself for a hilarious return to campus living with Bully, the outrageously funny debut title from Rockstar Vancouver, available exclusively for PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system this October.

Visit www.rockstargames.com/bully to view today’s world premiere of the first Bully trailer. The official splash also features a selection of new screenshots, game news, Bully desktops, and pre-order options.

Stay tuned for the full official site launch, happening very soon.

KOEI released a baker's half-dozen (is there such a thing?) of images showing their gorgeous looking racer Fatal Inertia for the PlayStation 3.

The closer the Call of Juarez gets to releasing, the more images we seem to get. Another six screenshots have been added to the page. This game is looking very sharp.

Today, Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, announced its participation in Games Convention, taking place in Leipzig from August 23 to 27, 2006. Ubisoft will be present in Halle 3, Stand B02. Additionally, Ubisoft welcomes retail and press partners in the business centre in Halle 2, Stand D12 on August 23 and August 26. The Ubisoft press conference will be held at 12 p.m. on August 23 in the press conference hall of the fair.

Showcasing various worldwide, Germany-wide and Europe-wide premieres, Ubisoft’s Games Convention lineup is as follows:

* DARK MESSIAH™ OF MIGHT & MAGIC® (first-person action, playable on Windows, releases in fall 2006);
* TOM CLANCY’S SPLINTER CELL DOUBLE AGENT™ (stealth action, playable in single-player and multiplayer mode on the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, releases in fall 2006);
* CALL OF JUAREZ™ (Western shooter, playable on Windows, releases early September 2006);
* THE SETTLERS® II – THE NEXT GENERATION (construction-based strategy game, playable on Windows, releases beginning of September 2006);
* THE SETTLERS® (construction-based strategy game, playable on Nintendo DS™, release in fall 2006);
* Horsez™ – (riding adventure, playable on Windows, releases end of 2006); and
* Open SEASON™ (action adventure, playable on the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, releases beginning of November 2006).

G-PHORIA 2006, G4TV's wanna-be awards show, announced their chosen winners. Not sure how 2006 awards can be handed out when the year is not over yet, but hey, who am I to question the decisions of "professionals?" The winner's list reads like a paid Microsoft event! ;)

Game of the Year: “The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion,” Xbox 360. Publisher: 2K Games/Bethesda

Best Voice Over: “Kingdom Hearts II,” PlayStation 2. Publisher: Square Enix

Best Alternative Sports: “Mario Baseball,” GameCube. Publisher: Nintendo

Best Action Game: “Shadow of the Colossus,” PlayStation 2. Publisher: SCEA

Best Graphics: “Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion,” Xbox 360. Publisher: 2K Games/Bethesda

Best Handheld Game: “Mario Kart DS,” Nintendo DS. Publisher: Nintendo

Best Multiplayer Game: “Ghost Recon Advanced War Fighter,” Xbox 360. Publisher: Ubisoft

Most Original Game: “Guitar Hero,” PlayStation 2. Publisher: RedOctane

Best Role-Playing Game: “The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion,” Xbox 360. Publisher:

2K Games/Bethesda

Best Shooter: “Call of Duty 2,” Xbox 360. Publisher: Activision

Best Soundtrack: “Kingdom Hearts II,” PlayStation 2. Publisher: Square Enix

Best Strategy Game: “Star Wars: Empire at War,” PC. Publisher: Lucasarts

Best Traditional Sports Game: “Fight Night Round 3,” Xbox 360. Publisher: EA Sports

Sierra Entertainment today announced that the multiplayer component from the award winning PC title F.E.A.R.T82;(First Encounter Assault Recon), has been renamed F.E.A.R. Combat, and will be made available to the public as a free download on Thursday August 17th, 2006.

F.E.A.R. Combat is the complete multiplayer component of F.E.A.R. and includes all the updates, additional official maps and additional official game modes all in one downloadable file. F.E.A.R. Combat users will be able to play against the owners of the retail version of F.E.A.R. as well as the other F.E.A.R. Combat users.

F.E.A.R. Combat features:

· 10 Multiplayer Game modes.

· 19 Multiplayer Maps.

· 12 different weapons.

· Punkbuster support for anti cheat support.

· The capability to download user generated content.

To play F.E.A.R. Combat, consumers simply go to www.joinfear.com and register to obtain their free, Combat keycode. When the file is made available for download on Aug 17th 2006, consumers can install, enter their keycode, and get ready to join F.E.A.R. Combat!

To get more information on F.E.A.R. Combat, please visit www.whatisfear.com or www.fearfans.com.

F.E.A.R. Combat will be available for download on August 17th 2006.

JoWooD Productions and Deep Silver announce the final release date for the most anticipated role-playing game of this year:

Gothic 3 will be released on the 13th of October in Europe!

“It’s fixed – Gothic 3 fans will get their hands on Gothic 3 this October and will be rewarded with a great game for their patience”, says Stefan Berger, Senior Brand Manager JoWooD Productions.

By releasing Gothic 3 on the 13th of October JoWooD and Deep Silver will maintain the highest possible game quality and ensure that Gothic 3 once again delivers a unique gaming experience.

Welcome to the world of Gothic.

For the millions of gamers worldwide enraptured by the award-winning online roleplaying game, equipping themselves with Guild Wars® games and accessories has never been easier. Announced today by ArenaNet®, developer of the wildly popular Guild Wars franchise, and NCsoft® Corporation, the world’s leading developer and publisher of online computer games, the Guild Wars online store is now open for business.

Players can now download Guild Wars games and accessories from right inside the game, and the digital distribution will enable this content to be used immediately, without the need for downloads or CD installation. The store is initially selling Guild Wars and Guild Wars Factions™ games, as well as additional character slots, the item most-requested by Guild Wars players, which can now be purchased and immediately used on existing player accounts.

“Guild Wars and Guild Wars Factions are the first NCsoft games to be integrated into PlayNC, the NCsoft online store, through a user-friendly in-game purchase option,” said Dorothy Ferguson, VP of sales and marketing for NCsoft North America. “Instant access to purchases gives gamers the stuff they want, without a wait, wrapped in a great shopping experience inside the game.”

Guild Wars, an instant bestseller worldwide upon its release in April 2005, and Guild Wars Factions, the number one game in both North America and Europe earlier this year, are global online roleplaying games. Guild Wars Nightfall, coming later this year, will continue this great tradition. These games invite players to immerse themselves in an epic storylines centered in vibrant fantasy settings, build personalized characters, and find grand adventures in missions and quests.

We've posted our interview with IDEA Games about their first-person shooter Alpha Prime.

Read the interview

A ton of new images of SOE's upcoming MMORPG Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising.

Activision released more screenshots of Call of Duty 3, both for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.

Call of Duty 3 for the Xbox 360

Call of Duty 3 for the PlayStation 3

To qualify as a PlayStation 2 “Greatest Hit” a title must have proven to be a driving force in software sales and in heightening the demand for the hardware that supports it. PlayStation 2 “Greatest Hits” games are available in stores for as low as $19.99 (SRP), and offer consumers the widest variety of content for all age groups.