Week of October 7, 2007

SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced that the demo for Virtua Fighter™ 5, the highly-anticipated arcade fighting game for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, is available for download on the Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The demo features four selectable characters including Akira, Sarah, El Blaze and Eileen. The demo also includes three stages and two game modes: VS. mode, where two players can battle it out (offline), and Arcade mode for spectacular single player action.

Virtua Fighter™ 5 will be released across North America for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system October 30, 2007.

With the days quickly counting off until E For All next week, we've been busy putting together a ton of game reviews. This time around we have seventeen new reviews for you. Please enjoy:

Nintendo Wii

Carnival Games

MLB Power Pros


Nintendo DS

Sonic Rush Adventure

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

MySims


Xbox 360

NBA 2K8

Sega Rally Revo

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe

Skate


PlayStation 3

PixelJunk Racers


Sony PSP

Full Auto 2: Battlelines

Coded Arms: Contagion

Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow


PC

Infernal

Company of Heroes: Opposing Forces

Resident Evil 4

Dungeon Runners

We have some new images of K2 Network's popular MMORPG Sword of the New World: Granado Espada.

Sierra Entertainment sent out ten new images of Empire Earth 3, the latest installment in the RTS series for the PC.

In anticipation of the demo release today, we have three new screenshots of Call of Duty 4 for you to enjoy.

Eidos released a few new screenshots of their take on co-op gaming, Kane & Lynch, due out on the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

Dreamcatcher sent along new screenshots of Painkiller: Overdose, the latest chapter from developer Mindware Studios.

Sunnyvale, CA – October 11, 2007 - Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), in partnership with Agora Games, a leading provider of online community development and in-game data collection, announced today that a new dedicated Guitar Hero community teaser website has launched, and fans can now visit www.GuitarHero.com to get a Backstage Pass to obtain insider information, news announcements, exclusive behind the scenes footage of Slash and other in-game talent, gameplay videos, and screenshots. Aspiring axe-shredders will also have the ability to pre-order and hear snippets from the set list of the highly anticipated title, Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock.

Fans who are first to sign up will have the exciting opportunity to create their own account and claim their stage name, which will be their unique identity on the official Guitar Hero community site, scoreboards, and forums. After the game launches on October 28, 2007, players will be able to go “on tour” by creating or joining a group to compare scores, and compete online in global head to head tournaments with other tour groups, along with the opportunity to establish new friendships and connect with other passionate Guitar Hero fans from around the world. They can also build a “rock radius” to opt-in and see friends, tour group members and players to connect with online through a global map.

To complete the rock star experience, fans can obtain groupies on the road to stardom while earning the title of Indie to Rock Star to Guitar Hero and shredding their way into the Hall of Fame. Groupies will determine a player’s popularity around the Backstage Pass, as well as on the full community site. For a limited time, players can now earn groupies by telling friends about their band and getting them to register on the site to join their tour group.

SEGA® of America, Inc. has announced that Virtua Fighter™ 5, the highly-anticipated arcade fighting game for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, has gone gold! Virtua Fighter™ for the 360 will feature an online versus mode at launch and is scheduled to ship nationwide on October 30, 2007.

The Microsoft Xbox 360™ version of Virtua Fighter™ 5 is based on the latest arcade version update and features both analog stick and D-pad control, as well as vibration support. The game also includes an improved Quest mode featuring more CPU rivals, items, and emblems for character customization. The DOJO mode has added features including leaderboards, training move settings, improved throw escape training, and the option to change your opponent’s position and recovery type.

New character classes have been added to Metin 2, the free-to-play MMORPG.

Read the news

Microsoft released some info the races you'll come across and interact with within Mass Effect, BioWare's soon-to-be-released Sci-Fi RPG for the Xbox 360. Along with the descriptions are screenshots of each race.

Read the Race Description

Valve is pleased to announce the official 'uncrating' of The Orange Box, now available on Steam.

The Orange Box features three top-rated new games by Valve: Half-Life® 2: Episode Two, the second installment in the Half-Life 2 episodic trilogy; Team Fortress® 2, the sequel to the game that put class-based, multiplayer team warfare on the map; and Portal, the game that blends puzzles, first person action, and adventure gaming to produce an experience like no other.

To bring gamers up to date with the Half-Life 2 universe, The Orange Box also includes Half-Life 2, the best-selling and highest-rated action game series of all time, and the episodic debut Half-Life® 2: Episode One—together, more than 30 hours of award-winning gameplay. Purchasers of the PC version of The Orange Box who already own Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One can conveniently “gift” them to a friend from within Steam.

All games included in The Orange Box are available separately or as part of two exclusive Steam collections: The Source Premier Pack and The Valve Complete Pack.

The Adventure Company released some new screenshots of their adventure game Agatha Christe's And Then There Were None for the Wii.

Rockstar Games sent along some new images of Table Tennis for the Nintendo Wii.

SEGA of America released seventeen new screenshots of Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus, the expansion coming to the Xbox 360 (download only), PlayStation 2, and PC.

Nintendo released their scheduled line-up of games they plan on showing off at the E For All next week.

Wii
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Donkey Kong(R) Barrel Blast
Battalion Wars(TM) 2
Fire Emblem(TM): Radiant Dawn
Wii Zapper(TM) with Link's Crossbow Training(TM)
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Rayman Raving Rabbids 2
Resident Evil(R): The Umbrella Chronicles
Medal of Honor Heroes(TM) 2
Ghost Squad(TM)

Nintendo DS
Professor Layton(R) and the Curious Village
Pokemon(R) Diamond and Pokemon(R) Pearl
Flash Focus(TM): Vision Training in Minutes a Day
Brain Age(TM): Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day
Brain Age(TM) 2: More Training in Minutes a Day
Mario Party(R) DS
The Legend of Zelda(R): Phantom Hourglass
Nintendogs(TM)
Mario Kart(R) DS
New Super Mario Bros. (R)
Animal Crossing(R): Wild World
Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword
Final Fantasy XII
Jam Sessions
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2008
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker
My Spanish Coach

With the Star Wars franchise being one of the world’s most beloved, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) is excited to announce today the availability of the limited-edition Star Wars Battlefront® PSP Entertainment Pack, which features the newly enhanced PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system in “Ceramic White” with a Darth Vader silkscreen on the back of the unit. The package, available for $199.99 (MSRP), also includes the highly anticipated game, Star Wars Battlefront®: Renegade Squadron™, an exclusive to the PSP system.

Soon to be a collectors’ item among gaming and Star Wars enthusiasts, this PSP Entertainment Pack will only be on store shelves for a limited time leading up to the holiday season, making it a must-have for holiday shoppers looking for a one-of-a-kind gift.

The new PSP system – which first hit shelves in September as part of the Daxter PSP Entertainment Pack featuring an “Ice Silver” PSP, as well as the PSP Core Pack in “Piano Black” – is slimmer, lighter, and includes a video-out port, among other enhancements. The new design, along with PSP system’s growing library of games and other entertainment content, has sparked strong consumer interest in the platform, driving sales on both hardware and software.

SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced that SEGA Rally™ Revo has shipped in North America for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system. This genre-defining competitive racing game is the first title developed by the newly-formed SEGA Driving Studio and is already receiving applause for its genre-defining look and gripping gameplay.

SEGA Rally Revo is the new benchmark in next-gen off-road racing, turning every lap into a new experience. Experience truly deformable tracks for the first time, using proprietary GeoDeformation™ technology. Bumper-to-bumper races in single-player and multiplayer modes on a constantly changing track surface, using fully customizable licensed cars. The genre-defining SEGA Rally arcade brand sets a new off-road racing benchmark with SEGA Rally Revo, made possible by the processing power of next-generation platforms.

Akella posted new screenshots of Hard To Be A God. They also have new screenshots of Showdown Scorpion.

Fury Software and Battlefront.com are excited to bring you the news that the long awaited expansion pack for Strategic Command 2 has now GONE GOLD! The Strategic Command 2 Weapons and Warefare Expansion raises the bar even higher in the WWII Strategy wargaming arena with all new game options, improved artificial intelligence and mind blowing expandability with its included full game editor. [Full Feature List]

We will start taking Pre-Orders for the Strategic Command 2 Weapons and Warfare Expansion later this week and expect the game to be released at the end of this month (October).

The Weapons and Warfare Expansion requires that you already have Strategic Command 2 Blitzkrieg installed and licensed on your computer! This is NOT a stand-alone game, but an expansion.

We will be offering Weapons and Warfare in two versions.

For those that already own Strategic Command 2 Blitzkrieg, you can buy just the expansion pack for $25.

For those that are new to the Strategic Command 2 game or want the original game and the new expanion together, we have a bundle pack which includes BOTH Strategic Command 2 Blitzkrieg and the Weapons and Warfare Expansion. That bundle will have a special sale price of just $45.

New York, NY – October 8, 2007 - 2K Sports proudly announced today that MLB® Power Pros is now available in stores for Nintendo’s Wii™ and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. The launch of MLB Power Pros marks the first time this celebrated franchise has become available to baseball fans in North America. Every MLB® player and ballpark is represented in the game, bringing an original visual style to America's favorite pastime. MLB players are portrayed in a distinct visual style that uses mini-models of pro players with charming facial expressions and hairstyles to bring the characters to life. With easy to pick-up-and-play pitching and hitting controls, MLB Power Pros is baseball fun for the whole family.

MLB Power Pros offers unique gameplay modes that allow players to be a part of the action as the general manager or as an up-and-coming baseball recruit. Through trades, extra practices, and buying new equipment, players in the Season Mode manage every aspect of their team to bring in money, win playoff games and eventually, earn the title of World Series champion. In Success Mode, gamers become college players, hoping to get recruited to the Big Leagues. Players train to build their skill sets while also balancing their academic and personal lives.

MLB Power Pros also includes modes specifically made for the Wii. Players can hit and pitch using the motions of the Wii Remote in Home Run Challenge and Match-up Mode. MLB Power Pros even allows gamers to import Wii-based character avatars called Miis from their Wii or Wii Remote to become part of the action!

MLB® Power Pros is available in stores now for Nintendo's Wii for $39.99 and for the PlayStation 2 system for $29.99, and is rated “E” for Everyone.

Hot on the heels of a price reduction for all Xbox 360 consoles, Microsoft is now giving holiday buyers even more value by including two great games with every Xbox 360 console and Xbox 360 Elite, a retail savings of $90 for consumers. The acclaimed “Forza Motorsport 2” (Microsoft Game Studios) and “Marvel Ultimate Alliance” (Activision) will both be included for the recently reduced prices of $349.99 (U.S.) for Xbox 360 and $449.99 (U.S.) for Xbox 360 Elite. Both bundles will be available retail-wide by the end of October.

The three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop 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:

FATAL FURY (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, rated T for Teen – Violence, 900 Wii Points)

WORLD HEROES (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, rated T for Teen Animated Blood, Violence, 900 Wii Points)

ART OF FIGHTING (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, rated T for Teen Animated Blood, Violence, 900 Wii Points)