Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (also known as Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007) has sold the most in a game's first week in the UK since Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas debuted two years ago. Those sales see it slip comfortably into the number one slot on the UK all-formats game chart.
FIFA 07's Xbox 360 version joins the game's seven other formats to help keep the title at number two, with sales up 96 percent on last week.
Rockstar Games' Canis Canem Edit (known as Bully outside of the UK) was the second-highest new entry at number five. Bully and PES6 are among seven other newbies this week, including Guild Wars: Nightfall at 15, Singstar Legends at 24, and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon at 27.
There are five titles heading upward, including Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07, up one place to eight; Buzz! The Big Quiz, up four to 14; and Destroy All Humans 2, which went up two places to 19.
The biggest loser of the week is Kingdom Hearts 2, falling a massive 16 places to 32, with The Godfather down 14 to 37, and The Sims 2: Glamour Life Stuff almost out of the charts completely, down 13 to 39.
Next Friday (if UK retailers can manage to stick to the release dates) will see the release of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War expansion pack Dark Crusade, Neverwinter Nights 2, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, Need for Speed Carbon, and Desperate Housewives: The Game.
features
Specially designed easy combat system
Clear main goals - story driven yet dictated by player’s choice
Huge free-roaming world - virtually no boundaries
Advanced human behavior AI for hundreds of individual characters with full audio dialogues
Countless side-quests for the player to choose from
Over 50 different monsters and animals and dozens of human enemies
Over 50 different powerful spells and over a hundred different weapons
Unique class-free character development
description
You have saved the island Khorinis from the forces of evil in Gothic I and Gothic II. Now it is time to travel to the realms of the mainland. Invading Orcs have enslaved the human kingdom. There are but a few free humans in the icy north and the southern desert and a handful of rebels hiding in the forests and mountains of Midland.
You may either join the rebellion or serve the Orcish Usurpers but you will ultimately tip the scales and decide the outcome of the last war to save humanity.
There is no simple linear story in Gothic III – every game will be different and unique – but all will ultimately lead to you deciding the fate of Myrtana.
features
Cutting-edge technology: Experience an enhanced version of the famous Source engine, including new jaw-dropping environments and incredible special effects. Discover the fresh perspective of a view with complete body awareness, realistic movements and physics rendering, making it the first fantasy action game featuring a complete first-person combat system.
Never-ending action: Challenge the forces of evil in 12 huge levels and learn to master over 30 weapons and a variety of devastating spells. Engage the enemy in intense melee combat with swords, bows, staffs and daggers, summon magic powers against the legions of darkness or sneak in the shadows to stalk nefarious creatures. It’s heart-pounding action where success in combat will dictate destiny.
Evolve your character: Extend your gameplay experience without being limited to a single discipline. Learn powerful new spells and attacks using Dark Messiah’s unique Skill Evolution System as you progress through the game.
The Might & Magic universe’s darkest and most engaging side: Eighteen years after the events of Heroes V, you become the young hero Sareth, trained in the art of magic and war in order to fight the prophecy of the Dark Messiah. But the revelations of your past may alter your course and reveal a path to the truth. Explore a secluded region of Ashan populated with fearless orcs, savage goblins, dreadful undead, elusive trolls, massive dragons and many other creatures that defy nature’s creation in both size and cunning.
A revolutionary multiplayer mode: Get ready to battle with up to 32 players in the revolutionary Crusade mode, which will allow you to gain experience and new equipment across dynamic online campaigns. Enlist with the humans or the undead and choose among five complementary character classes. Wage epic online battles, sprawling over multiple zones, from the dark Necromancer’s lair at Nar-Heresh to the man-made splendor of Stonehelm.
description
Discover a new breed of action-RPG game powered by an enhanced version of Source™ Engine by Valve.
In this game set in the Might & Magic® universe, players will experience ferocious combat in a dark and immersive fantasy environment. Become an expert warrior, mage, or assassin. Use a vast array of devastating weapons against huge, vicious creatures in a deep and captivating fantasy.
description
Fall of the Reich covers 3 major offensives taking place in the final days of fighting on the Eastern Front. With Germany holding strategic cities in a bid to protect the Fatherland, and the Red Army driving relentlessly towards Berlin, the Spring of '45 saw some of the most vicious battles of the entire war.
Fall of the Reich also chronicles both the Soviet and German offensives in the long siege of Budapest, the incredible tenacity of Axis forces in holding "Fortress" Kurland and the Soviet Operation Bagration that freed Byelorussia and opened up Eastern Europe to the Red Army
features
Real-time action - lay track, route the trains, and the world comes to life. Cities and industries grow up around you as you service them, hauling raw materials to market and carrying manufactured goods away; Cargos are loaded onto train cars and passengers shuffle between cities.
Easy to get started - laying track is as easy as clicking and dragging. Bridges, tunnels, railroad stations and switches sprout up automatically where they're needed.
Challenging to master - with a new market system that tracks supply and demand and complex random events that can cause a boom or bust at any time, players must stay on their toes at all times or risk obsolescence, financial collapse, or hostile takeover.
It's all about the trains! - over 30 trains to use, from the primitive 0-4-0 Planet to the Super powerful 4-6-6-4 Challenger, from the classic diesels to ultra-modern bullet trains.
LocoBuilder - design your own steam engine from the ground up, and deploy it across your rail empire! Customize your train liveries, from color schemes to custom logos.
We've got the goods - over 20 different goods to harvest, produce, and sell, and 30 unique industries, from lumber mills to war factories, each with detailed, unique animations.
Scenario and map editor support - enables user-created maps and scenarios. Want to create a race to complete a transcontinental railroad in 30 years using only steam engines? No problem!
Something for everyone - build your dream train layout in train table mode, or challenge historical giants like Cornelius Vanderbilt, J.P. Morgan, and others in single-player scenarios.
Multiplayer - Ruthless real-time LAN and Internet play. Buy out your rivals or cash in favors to sabotage their shipments! Whether you prefer heads-up competition or the camaraderie of cooperative team play, you'll find a fantastic multiplayer experience here.
description
Sid Meier's Railroads! marks the return of the watershed title in simulation/strategy gaming that launched the popular Tycoon genre, and inspired a new generation of games. Railroads! comes home to its original creator, the legendary Sid Meier, who, together with his team at Firaxis Games, will take this game to a whole new level of fun!
description
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Anthology is the ultimate collectors edition, featuring the original Dawn of War, its two expansion packs - Winter Assault and Dark Crusade - and more.
Dawn of War:
Ten thousand years have passed since the treasonous acts of Chaos toppled the Golden Age of mankind. Fires burn brightly throughout the galaxies, illuminating carnage and slaughter as mankind defends itself from ancient enemies. Hardened forces collide with one goal in mind, the complete extermination of their opposition. Control one of four unique races in head-to-head or cooperative multiplayer action, where faith, skill, and strategy are requisites in ruling the universes.
Winter Assault:
The expansion pack to the award winning Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War will build upon the most exciting, visceral, front-line battlefield ever seen in an RTS game. Lost amongst the ruins of a leveled city lies an Emperor Class Titan, a war vessel of untold power forged in the planet-wide furnaces of Mars, and revered by billions as the epitome of Imperial dominance. The one who controls it will command the power to destroy, or defend, a world. The Imperials will summon it to overcome great evil, Chaos will corrupt it for their own designs, Orks will destroy it in their bloodlust and Eldar will disregard it in their arrogance.
Dark Crusade:
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade will feature two new playable races, the Tau Empire and the Necrons, bringing the number of totally unique races to an unprecedented seven. In addition to the two new playable races, Dark Crusade will feature an all-new single player campaign centering on the conquest of a "meta-map," with each territory captured giving tangible rewards to the occupying force. A greatly expanded multiplayer component and a completely unique economy model for the Necrons will present gamers with the most compelling Dawn of War game to-date.
I know that the old model III emu was passed on to MAME, and the newest MAME version has many model III roms working, so is there any plans on making a direct emulator for the model III using the MAME source code? An emu that focuses more on speed ups, rather then accuracy as the MAME does????
Play Asia posted this list of whats new this week at their shop:
Xbox360™:
Cars ASIA US$ 39.90
Everyparty (Platinum Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
FIFA Soccer 07 ASIA US$ 39.90
Need For Speed: Carbon (Collector's Edition) ASIA US$ 39.90
Need for Speed Most Wanted (Platinum Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
Ninety-Nine Nights (Platinum Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
Project Gotham Racing 3 (Platinum Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
Rumble Roses XX (Konami the Best) JPN US$ 34.90
The Outfit JPN US$ 64.90
Xbox 360 Core System Sale Commemoration Pack JPN US$ 299.90
Xbox 360 Dead or Alive 4 Holiday Bundle [Limited Edition] ASIA US$ 449.90
Xbox 360 Hard Drive (20 GB) JPN US$ 99.90
Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote JPN US$ 32.90
Xbox 360 Wireless Headset JPN US$ 59.90
Xbox Live Vision JPN US$ 39.90
Most Japanese Xbox360™ accessories are expected to be in stock tomorrow.
PlayStation2™:
.hack//G.U. vol. 1//Rebirth US N/A
Devil May Cry Greatest Hits Set US US$ 39.90
FIFA Soccer 07 ASIA US$ 39.90
Final Fantasy XII US US$ 59.90
Gallop Racer Inbreed JPN US$ 48.90
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy JPN US$ 64.90
NBA Live 07 ASIA US$ 39.90
Phantasy Star Universe US US$ 59.90
Slotter Up Core 9 JPN US$ 34.90
Tsukiyo ni Saraba (Taito Best) JPN US$ 34.90
Xbox™:
Need For Speed: Carbon ASIA US$ 39.90
Sony PSP™:
Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception KOR US$ 49.90
Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception US US$ 49.90
Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded US US$ 39.90
Chotto Shot (w/ Camera) JPN US$ 49.90
Dynasty Warriors 2 US US$ 39.90
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance US US$ 39.90
Need For Speed: Carbon Own the City ASIA US$ 42.90
Silicone Cover Portable (black) US$ 9.90
Silicone Cover Portable (white) US$ 9.90
The Da Vinci Code JPN US$ 37.90
Nintendo DS™:
Children of Mana US US$ 39.90
Emoto Honami no Shiawase Kitchen JPN US$ 48.90
Hoshi no Kirby Sanjyo! JPN US$ 48.90
LEGO Star Wars II JPN US$ 48.90
Love Hamster JPN US$ 48.90
Nintendo DS Lite (Winning Eleven DS Jet Black Special Edition) - 110V JPN US$ 289.90
Pokemon Ranger: The Road to Diamond and Pearl US US$ 39.90
Wallet Pouch DS Lite (black) US$ 18.90
Wallet Pouch DS Lite (blue) US$ 18.90
Wallet Pouch DS Lite (white) US$ 18.90
Winning Eleven DS JPN US$ 39.90
PC Games:
Blitzkrieg II: Fall of the Reich ASIA US$ 29.90
Dark Messiah of Might & Magic ASIA US$ 37.90
Dark Messiah of Might & Magic [Collector's Edition] ASIA US$ 49.90
Gothic 3 ASIA US$ 32.90
LMA Manager 2007 ASIA US$ 32.90
Sid Meier's Railroads! ASIA US$ 37.90
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Anthology ASIA US$ 49.90
Toys, Books, Magazines & Misc:
Arcadia Magazine [December 2006] JPN US$ 12.90
Comic Calendar 2007: Bleach JPN US$ 29.90
Comic Calendar 2007: D.Gray-man JPN N/A
Comic Calendar 2007: Death Note JPN N/A
Comic Calendar 2007: Gintama JPN US$ 29.90
Comic Calendar 2007: Naruto JPN US$ 24.90
Comic Calendar 2007: One Piece JPN US$ 29.90
Famitsu Wave DVD [December 2006] JPN US$ 16.50
Gyakuten Saiban Official Fan Book Vol.2 JPN US$ 14.90
Ichigo Mashimaro Pre-Painted Figure: Miu Matsuoka (Stewardess) US$ 44.90
Jingai Makyo 1/7 Scale Painted PVC Figure: Ignis US$ 59.90
Moeart Collection 1/6 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure - Rec: Aka Onda US$ 64.90
Nintendo Super Mario Bros. Phone Strap Gashapon US$ 1.99
Queen's Blade 1/8 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure - Mori no Bannin Nowa Figure US$ 49.90
Video Game related Soundtracks:
Break Out (Super Robot Taisen Original Generation Intro Theme) JPN US$ 11.90
Ee'Mall & ee'Mall 2nd avenue Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 34.90
Koibana Educator - Full House Kiss Single Collection Vol.14 JPN US$ 15.90
Pop'n Music 14 Fever & ee'MALL Original Soundtrack Set JPN US$ 74.90
Pop'n Music 14 Fever Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 42.90
Red Rocket Rising JPN US$ 9.90
Red Rocket Rising [CD+DVD] JPN US$ 17.90
Seishun Aftermath - Full House Kiss Single Collection Vol.13 JPN US$ 15.90
Tsuyokisu -Mighty Heart- Original Song Series Vol.3 JPN US$ 15.90
Tsuyokisu -Mighty Heart- Original Song Series Vol.4 JPN US$ 15.90
We've not had a whiff of info on BioWare's PC role-playing game Dragon Age for a long, long time now, some might say an age, but that's all changed today as new details on the 3D fantasy romp through the kingdom of Ferelden have hit the interweb.
According to an article on 1UP, players will be presented with a plot far darker than fans of previous BioWare PC RPGs will be used to, the storyline apparently influenced by - the utterly fantastic - A Game of Thrones series of fantasy novels penned by George R. R. Martin. Beefing up the storyline aspect, each character archetype selectable by the player features its own origin story, offering variety in the open stages of Dragon Age and, we reckon, potentially allowing for multiple endings to the adventure.
We can expect in-depth interaction between characters and NPCs too, with BioWare said to be employing a modified version of the conversation system that features in its Xbox 360 game Mass Effect. Allowing you to engage in conversation by selecting from sets of 'chat' statements - like in KOTOR - the system is dynamic, cinematic, lets you interrupt conversations for example and is also enhanced by realistic facial animations. We can only guess at how this is being modified for Dragon Age at the moment.
Additionally, a few details have been spilled on combat, it described it as being in the style of Baldur's Gates' real-time tactical combat, but evolved. Plus, orders can be queued up for members of your party who are able to execute coordinated attacks, according to 1UP. And what sounds really cool is that Dragon Age will feature big scraps with large creatures, what BioWare is aiming for with this sounding not unlike the battle scene from the first Lord of the Rings movie where the Fellowship fights the massive troll in Moria.
The World of Warcraft guild Overrated has been permanently banned by Blizzard Entertainment after it was caught cheating in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Guild members used an exploit that essentially knocked down walls, according to postings on World of Warcraft-related forums.
The guild had been playing the level of the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj, also known as AQ40. In it, the dungeon level map progresses in a circular manner from the first to last bosses. The mod effectively allowed the guild to bypass what it refers to as "C'thun trash," bosses who dropped less lucrative items. Guild members could then move on to the final boss, C'thun, who drops more valuable goodies.
Pantaloons, a member of the Overrated guild, commented on the WOW forums, "Let me explain. We are the only US Horde guild that clears Naxx [the most challenging area of the game], been like that for a few weeks. People found that the pre-C'thun trash was so painful, that they decided to install some stupid thing that deletes walls or something, and you can just run there after Skeram [the first boss]. I know, we had it coming, blah blah whatever, we know we deserve it...I'm sure they'll try and get it rescinded because it's kind of a steep punishment with no recourse or whatever."
Blizzard Entertainment did not respond to requests from GameSpot for a comment.
* Allow ADSR changes while voice keyed on (fixes sounds in FF7 and others)
* Localisation for various languages
* Added internal manifest file (dialogs now support XP theme correctly)
* Sound device can now be set to disabled
* Fixed bug where sound was muted when reverb was disabled
* Fixed Chrono Cross hangs introduced in v1.9
* Breakpoints can now be added/removed in debugger while CPU is running
* Added check for valid BIOS
Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising has been hovering around a bit under the radar in recent times but with new screenshots materialising today it's time to take a fresh look at the game.
In development at Perpetual Entertainment and designed by Stieg Hedlund (lead designer of Diablo II), it's a massively multiplayer game with a mythical flavour and is set in Rome circa 300 BC. Players strap on boots as heroes of the ancient world and Perpetual promises "the most interactive, dynamic, strategic and engaging combat system of any MMG". Part of the gameplay involves training and commanding NPC squads in battle, a feature which is certainly intriguing.
We're expecting Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising to hit next year but in the meantime, enjoy the fresh screens.
The Goat Store is well known to Dreamcast Fans and the Dreamcast Community as they are supporters of Dreamcast Homebrew and have published Homebrew games as Commercial releases.
They are also one of the Worlds best stockists of Retro Consoles and Games covering systems such as:
Atari
2600
5200
7800
Lynx
Jaguar
Jaguar CD
Nintendo
NES
Super Nintendo
Virtual Boy
Nintendo 64
Sega
Master System
Genesis
Game Gear
Sega CD
Sega 32X
Saturn
Dreamcast
Other
Odyssey 2
Intellivision
Colecovision
Turbografx-16
3DO
Check out The Goat Store, emulation is good but playing on the real thing cant be beaten.
Electronic Arts' racing franchise Need for Speed once again debuts at the top of the UK All Formats Charts, with latest offering Carbon claiming pole position with a lead over its nearest rival of just over 1000 units.
Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 6, last week's number one, sits behind at number two in the charts, with FIFA 07 and The Sims 2: Pets at number three and four, respectively.
Rockstar's Canis Canem Edit fails to climb the charts, staying at number five, while the publisher's PSP title Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories makes its debut at number six.
Falling down the charts are Sega's Football Manager 2007 at number seven and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent at eight.
The only other new entry in the top ten is THQ's expansion pack Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Dark Crusade at number nine, which sits ahead of VU Games' Scarface: The World is Yours at ten.
The other new entries in the top forty are Atari's Neverwinter Nights 2 at number 14, Activision's multi-format Marvel Ultimate Alliance at number 24 and Atari's Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenaichi at number 29.
Now that Electronic Arts is dual wielding the Tolkien movie and literary rights, we can expect plenty of return trips to Middle-earth from the über developer. So far, we've seen two action platformers, a turn-based RPG, a portable tactics entry, and an RTS series that have each incorporated the look and feel of The Lord of the Rings films.
Scheduled for a late 2007 release, The White Council promises to deliver an Oblivion-style roleplaying experience from the perspective of a human, hobbit, dwarf, or elf. Only this time, the adventure is set 100 years prior to events depicted in the books and films, which puts EA in the precarious position of inventing some believable derivative fiction that won't upset the Tolkien fan base. To see how things are progressing, check out the relaunched web site that features new details on some of White Council's characters.
An expansion is in the works for Iron Lore's Diablo-esque action-RPG Titan Quest.
According to a report on FiringSquad.com, the expansion is named Titan Quest: Immortal Throne and is being developed by Iron Lore. TQ fans can look forward to the addition of eight new classes - coming courtesy of a system called Dream Mastery - 20 fresh monsters to obliterate and 30-plus quests. It's said that the add-on will offer around 10 to 15 hours of gameplay time.
All being well, tomorrow will witness the release of a demo of Gothic 3, Piranha Bytes' giant RPG.
We've been informed that the demo is "immense" by the powers that be, featuring plenty of beast killing in the wilderness, interaction with NPCs and, most importantly, challenges with two of the game's main factions - the orcs and the rebels. Expect to be able to acquire phat loot during the taster too.
Our old muckers on PC Zone recently reviewed Gothic 3 and found it very decent enough to award it 85%.
Grab the nearest Tauren and hug him hard (but watch out for the horns) - Blizzard's World of Warcraft expansion The Burning Crusade will be out on January 16, 2007 in Europe and North America.
The confirmed release date follows recent news on Blizzard's decision to delay the expansion, which pushed it back from its expected November 2006 release.
Anyone living in Korea, Australia, new Zealand and Singapore can expect the expansion to hit around the same time. Release dates for China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau are to be announced in the near future.
"While World of Warcraft has continued to grow rapidly along with its player population, The Burning Crusade will represent our single largest addition of new game content and new features to date," said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment.
"With this expansion, we're looking forward to offering the same level of quality that players have experienced in World of Warcraft so far, and we'll continue balancing and play-testing up until launch to ensure that The Burning Crusade achieves that goal."
PlayStation2™:
Area 51 JPN US$ 64.90
I's Pure JPN US$ 64.90
Mai-Kinoto Hime JPN US$ 64.90
Mai-Kinoto Hime [Limited Edition] JPN N/A
New Jinsei Game (PlayStation2 the Best) JPN US$ 39.90
Okami (English language Version) KOR US$ 59.90
Okami (Japanese language Version) KOR US$ 59.90
SSX On Tour (EA Best Hits) JPN US$ 34.90
Simple 2000 Series Ultimate Vol. 33: Ururun Quest JPN US$ 25.90
Simple 2000 Series Ultimate Vol. 34: Sakigake!! Otokojuku JPN US$ 25.90
More supply of the Mai-Kinoto Hime [Limited Edition] is confirmed to arrive on or before Monday.
Nintendo DS™:
Black Jack: Hi no Tori Hen JPN US$ 48.90
Elite Beat Agents US US$ 39.90
Konductra US US$ 39.90
Me de Unou wo Kitaeru: DS Sokudoku Jutsu JPN US$ 29.90
Mezase! Shoujo Manga Ka! Chao Manga School JPN US$ 48.90
Scurge: Hive US US$ 39.90
Touch Detective US US$ 39.90
Zaidan Houjin Nippon Kanji Nouryoku Kentei Kyoukai Koushiki Soft: 200 Mannin no KanKen: Tokoton Kanji Nou JPN US$ 39.90
Sony PSP™:
BattleZone US US$ 39.90
Death Jr. II: Root of Evil US US$ 39.90
Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony US US$ 39.90
Every Extend Extra US N/A
FIFA Soccer 07 KOR US$ 49.90
Gangs of London ASIA US$ 42.90
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories US US$ 49.90
Harukanaru Jikuu no Uchi de 2 (Koei Selection) JPN US$ 19.90
Killzone Liberation US US$ 39.90
La Corda d'Oro (Koei the Best) JPN US$ 29.90
Lumines II US US$ 39.90
NBA Live 07 KOR US$ 49.90
Need For Speed: Carbon Own the City (Chinese Packing) ASIA US$ 42.90
Nobunaga no Yabou: Tenshoki (Koei the Best) JPN US$ 29.90
Powerstone Collection US US$ 34.90
Rush US N/A
Sangokushi V / Romance of the Three Kingdoms V (Koei Selection) JPN US$ 19.90
Sangokushi VI / Romance of the Three Kingdoms VI (Koei the Best) JPN US$ 29.90
Toys, Books, Magazines & Misc:
Dot-S Puzzle: Super Mario Bros. 3 (04-Type A) US$ 9.90
Dot-S Puzzle: Super Mario Bros. 3 (04-Type B) US$ 9.90
Dot-S Puzzle: Super Mario Bros. 3 (05-Type A) US$ 9.90
Dot-S Puzzle: Super Mario Bros. 3 (05-Type B) US$ 9.90
Fairy Musketeers Figure Collection Vol.1 US$ 4.90
Fate/Hollow Ataraxia 1/6 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure - Caren Ortensia [Prologue Ver.] US$ 64.90
Final Fantasy XII Official Strategy Guide US US$ 22.90
Gears of War Sweater (L) N/A
Gears of War Sweater (XL) N/A
Gears of War Sweater (XXL) N/A
Ikkitousen: 1/7 Scale Painted PVC Figure - Kanu Untyou (Red Version) US$ 44.90
Keroro Collection Keychain Bell Gashapon US$ 2.49
Mai-Hime Z 1/10 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure - Shizuru Viola US$ 59.90
Naruto Collection Candy Toy - Kuchiyose no Zyutsu US$ 5.90
Neon Genesis Evangelion 1/6 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure: Asuka Langley (Waterdrop Ver.) US$ 79.90
OS-Idol: 1/7 Scale Painted PVC Figure - Win Chan Ver. 2 US$ 36.90
Shakugan no Shana 1/8 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure - Shana (Contract of Fate Version) US$ 54.90
Shakugan no Shana 1/8 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure - Shana (The Girl from Tendokyu Version) US$ 54.90
To Heart 2 1/8 Scale Pre-Painted Figure: Lucy Maria Misora US$ 49.90
Toypla Original Mutsuki School Girl Pre-painted PVC Figure US$ 54.90
Video Game related Soundtracks:
Mermaid Prism Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 27.90
Naruto Konoha Spirit Original Game Soundtrack JPN US$ 18.90
Ryu-Koku -Original Drama Collection- JPN US$ 27.90
Tenshou Gakuen Gekkou Hasumi Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 31.90
Tsuyokisu -Mighty Heart- Original Song Series Vol.5 JPN US$ 15.90
Tsuyokisu -Mighty Heart- Original Song Series Vol.6 JPN US$ 15.90
The DS lite sales fall back to normal levels after last weeks big increase, as the PS2, PSP GBAs continue their slow, but steady decline.
But good news for MS as Xbox 360 Sales increase over 4 fold, putting them in (a distant) 4th place. Xbox 360 should get another sales boost when the 2nd Core System is launched (Dec-7).
But before that the PS3 will be making a big impact with it's launch on the 11th Nov, (well a 80,000 max impact)
On a sad note, RIP Xbox (original) with no sales this week
All hardware sales dropped in October, just before the holiday rush. The DS continues to dominate the sales. The 360, still struggling to beat the PS2 but the gap is closing, while on the other hand, the gap between the GBA and PSP grows.
Rounding out the bottom of the chart, the Xbox and Gamecubes sales keep falling as they give way to the next gen.
Nightfall represents the third entry in NCsoft's successful Guild Wars series, and provides the most compelling reason yet for fans of single-player RPGs to try out this subscription-free MMO. While developer ArenaNet continues to push the franchise forward with new professions and exotic locales, some critics expressed concerns over the aging graphics engine and the fact that party formation in the virtual towns remains needlessly difficult. However, there's still the addictive gameplay, and the flexibility of self-contained expansions means you can jump in (or jump out) at any time. How many of you plan on picking up Nightfall?
1UP (90/100) thinks Nightfall will appeal to the NWN-Oblivion crowd: "The most noteworthy addition comes in the form of 14 new nonplayer hero characters who -- unlike the addlebrained henchmen of campaigns past -- offer complete customization options to players. It saves a lot of headaches, and makes Guild Wars feel more like a single-player RPG than ever before."
Gamespot (82/100) appreciates the enhanced enemy AI: "Nightfall introduces many impressive-looking, powerful new enemies to fight, and it also seems to have updated their artificial intelligence to make them even more ruthless -- they'll happily go after your party's soft targets, like your monks and elementalists, not just attack the frontline."
GameDaily (70/100) had some issues with Nightfall's pacing: "It takes a long time for the story to get started. Unlike previous games, players can't select a secondary profession until level 5. Even so, many players will have made it halfway to level 20 (the game's maximum level) before the story starts to pick up any real momentum. Of course, Guild Wars has never been a game that has put strong emphasis on levels, but it's the only marker players have to see if they've outgrown a particular area."
Medieval II: Total War has finally been released in Europe and is heading its way over to North America on November 14th. Developed by the acclaimed RTS studio The Creative Assembly, this visually stunning game spans the turbulent period of 1080 – 1530 and hands PC gamers the reigns in an attempt to become the greatest power of the Medieval World.
Medieval II: Total War is the latest game in the multi-award winning Total War series and is the follow up to the 2005 Strategy Game Of The Year, Rome: Total War. Medieval II: Total War has already proven a worthy successor, gaining prestigious awards from renowned PC gaming magazines PC Gamer (94%), Gamestar (91%), PC Zone (91%) and PC Powerplay (90%).
You have saved the island of Khorinis from the forces of evil in Gothic I and Gothic II. Now it is time to travel to the realms of the mainland.
Invading Orcs have enslaved the human kingdom. There are but a few free humans in the icy north and the southern desert and a handful of rebels hiding in the forests and mountains of Midland.
You may either join the rebellion or serve the Orcish Usurpers but you will ultimately tip the scales and decide the outcome of the last war to save humanity. There is no simple linear story in Gothic III - every game will be different and unique - but all will ultimately lead to you deciding the fate of humankind.
Experience this RPG with the official release of the Gothic 3 demo....
Sony have seemingly dropped a bombshell already with news on one of their sites that reads:
PLAYSTATION®3 allows any desired third-party system software to be installed on it besides its system software provided by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Details will be posted on this site soon.
Is homebrew from the start a reality, well we all hope so, keep your eyes focused on PS3 Evolution for any breaking details regarding homebrew on the PS3.
Developer of EVE Online, CCP, is to merge with table top role-playing specialist White Wolf, with the new company intent on creating new IP for the MMO market.
"White Wolf possesses the RPG industry's leading offline gaming talent and some of the most recognisable role-playing properties in the world," commented Hilmar Petursson, CEO of CCP.
White Wolf's president Mike Tinney added: "Together, we will create the industry's most innovative games leveraging both online and offline systems."
CCP is bringing a range of White Wolf's role-playing properties online, while the table-top publisher will develop card games, RPG systems, novels and more based on the EVE Online universe.
White Wolf has already enjoyed some success in the videogame market, with a previous partnerships with Activision leading to the release of a PC title based on the Vampire: The Masquerade RPG.
MTV Networks continues to expand in the games market, with the announcement of a new partnership with Korean MMO specialist Nexon to market its titles in North America.
As well as promoting titles such as Maple Story, Audition and Kart Rider online and through its various television networks, Nexon may also create and develop MTV Network-branded items for use in-game.
In return, Nexon will provide marketing support for MTV Network's casual game Neopets in Asia, and create virtual items for purchase and use within the game.
"We are delighted to establish this mutually beneficial partnership with one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms and the premier media partner in North America for Nexon's wide ranging target audience," said David Lee, CEO of Nexon Japan.
MTV Networks recently acquired Guitar Hero developer Harmonix for US $175 million (EUR 137 million).
This trailer gives us a first ever glimpse at the stupendously ambitious Huxley, the Xbox 360/PC cross-platform massively multiplayer online shooter.
The 2007-due title promises player versus player battles with up to 200, an intriguing plot that ties into the platform you choose to play it on and a giant post-apocalyptic world to explore. Hit the movies tab above to see the footage.
It's clear that Huxley wears its Unreal engine pedigree proudly - the wild shootouts in this video could be straight out of that superb deathmatch mash, although Huxley's wider scope is evident in the impressively huge and expansive levels. One outdoor clip here gives you a view of an industrial themed level that, if it's all open for destruction, is staggering in size and detail.
There's more to Huxley than blasting your mates in the face, though, as the latter portion of the video illustrates. Huxley's giant world and futuro cityscapes are where 360 and PC players can meet, greet and team up for traditional quest-type adventures.
With Huxley all set to be released next year we reckon this vid is the beginning of a wave of new info. Watch this webspace.
Many Cedega (formerly WINEX) users claim to have been mistakenly caught up in a security sweep of the U.S. game servers performed by Blizzard's World of Warcraft Game Master (GM) staff. Affected users received the same strongly-worded 'Notice of Account Closure' email messages that true bot users did, in which they were accused of the 'Use of Third Party Automation Software.' While diagnosis of this event continues early speculation points to Blizzard's use of the Warden anti-cheating spyware application that is bundled with World of Warcraft, and the odd things that may have been produced by it when it was run via Cedega. Emails to World of Warcraft's Account Administration staff continue to go unanswered while the list of affected people continues to grow
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And we mean exactly that, one new piece of artwork from he upcoming Halo RTS
When Microsoft's Shane Kim told us at X06 that we'd get to see more on Halo Wars pretty soon, we were hoping for a little more than one new piece of art.
Like some actual screens of what the game will look like and evidence that developer Ensemble Studios has indeed cracked the controls, as Kim suggested?
On July 5, Electronic Arts released The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II for the Xbox 360. Initial reaction was skeptical, since real-time strategy had long been the realm of the PC, and commanding an army with a console controller seemed like a dubious scheme at best. However, the critically acclaimed game did fairly well at retail, selling just under 150,000 copies in two months on the 360--around half of what it sold on the PC.
Now, EA is adding another, more storied RTS franchise to its 360 portfolio. Today, the company revealed that Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars would also come to Microsoft's console. Previously announced for the PC, the latest entry in the decade-long series takes place in 2047, when the Global Defense Initiative and the Brotherhood of Nod once again lock horns in a battle for world domination.
Like its PC counterpart, the Xbox 360 version of C&C3 will feature online multiplayer action. It will also follow the lead of other recent EA titles by having a variety of content add-ons available from Xbox Live Marketplace. C&C3 will also feature a bevy of voice talent, including Splinter Cell's Michael Ironside, Empire Strikes Back's Billy Dee Williams, and Battlestar Galactica's Grace Park and Tricia Helfer.
No ship date or rating was given for the Xbox 360 edition of Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. It, like the PC version, now bears a general "2007" release window.
Still smarting from the disappointing Mage Knight Apocalypse, Namco Bandai really needed a hit with Warhammer: Mark of Chaos. Adding to the pressure was the success of THQ's Warhammer series (the excellent Dawn of War), and competition from other fantasy-themed strategy titles such as Battle for Middle-earth II and Heroes V. The good news is that Hungarian developer Black Hole Entertainment delivered the dark and gritty aesthetics of the Warhammer universe, and the scores reflect their efforts. However, like many publishers of late, Namco Bandai may have compromised quality assurance to stay within the all-important holiday launch window.
IGN (80/100) enjoyed the game's deep customization and attention to detail: "The visuals in general are very good. All of the unit models are finely crafted pieces of art. The modeling is great and the textures on top are excellent. They do some nice things with lighting and heat shimmer effects that make magic come alive. All of this comes with a price. The framerate can drop substantially in large battles."
1UP (70/100) is holding out for the first patch: "It's a real mess sorting things out when you get into scrums where unit overlap turns organized regiments into brawling blobs. In short, you get plenty of detail under the hood, but too few helpful barometers. It's hard not to fall under Mark of Chaos' 'almost-there' spell. Prize-winning? No, but certainly promising...if we can hold our breath for fixes."
Game Informer (68/100) thinks the combat system could use some tweaking: "Lacking any sort of base-building or resource-gathering, Mark of Chaos has to get by on the RTS combat that makes up the majority of the gameplay. Unfortunately, the battles fail to distinguish themselves in any meaningful way from what we've seen in the genre for years. Hero duels (no armies allowed) invariably go to the person who spent more points in their 'dueling' skill tree – which, of course, gimps them in terms of leading an army."
The DS remains King of Japan, dispite the challenge from the PS3. But with the new Playstation arriving the other 2 Playstations sink below the 20K mark.
The 360 sales half after last weeks boost, but still selling double than their normal weekly average (about 1,500)
The old Gameboys, and Gamecube slowly slip away into the night, while 3 people got confuse with xbox is which...
The interest thing look look out for next week, how many ps3 will be sold (if there are any to sell)
David Braben, co-creator of seminal Eighties space fighting sim Elite has revealed the future of the much-loved franchise to CVG in an exclusive interview earlier this week.
Braben, whose Frontier Developments has just completed Thrillville before moving on to work on next-gen political thriller The Outsider, has told CVG that a modern remake of the classic is still very much in his thoughts and that not one, but two versions of Elite for the Noughties are planned.
However gamers shouldn't be holding their breath as these new Elites will follow after The Outsider has been completed and will indeed depend on some of The Outsider's technology.
Braben told us, "There are two project designs that we've got now. One is a multiplayer game, the other is a single-player, still allowing multiplayer, but not massive multiplayer, which we do plan to do and that will follow on from The Outsider and use some of the technologies that that employs. That's the way they fit together."
Braben continued, "Certainly the first Elite incarnation will be a single player game, that supports multiplayer, but we're not talking thousands, we're talking tens of players."
While an Elite MMO still remains the ultimate dream (coincidentally as we argued for recently in our Bring It Back! feature,) Braben is under no illusions that it will be a simple task: "Although I think it's a long way off, one thing I'm wary of is that it's a very difficult game to provide for well. There will be groups of fans who will be very critical of what happens, that's true of every game really, but it's a lot of work to keep that going for a long time."
Perhaps most interestingly Braben also gave us some insights into the original spec for the game as it was being developed in 2000 and some of the reasons Elite slipped off the radar. "What happened is that we started the Elite sequel back in 2000, and that was structured as a mass multiplayer game. In doing our research and at the planning stage of how all the network infrastructure would work we found the network was nowhere near as sophisticated as people were saying and by that I mean the companies.
"I was very wary that we would be trailblazing and one of the ways we were planning to do it was to put a piece of hardware in every single phone exchange, so it was a much wider plan to achieve the very short ping times that you need to play the game we wanted to do. So we put that essentially on indefinite hold at that point because I knew it wasn't going to work well. And I'd rather not do it, than do something that didn't work well."
Concluding our chat, Braben also revealed that far from seeing the original Elite as a kind of millstone still hanging around his neck, he still had very positive memories of its original development.
"I was very lucky to be part of that when Ian and I did it in the Eighties, it was great fun to have done and from a nostalgia point of view. For me, looking back on it, it was a very very good time. Writing games was quite different then, because to be honest we wrote Elite for ourselves, basically. Yes it was meant to be commercial, but the point is there was none of this 'who will this appeal to?'. It was a case of 'yes it's great, let's do it!' You can make something absolutely spot on in that way, [even] given the constraints that you have."
So it's all around excellent news for Elite fans, but we'll just have to wait for Frontier to complete The Outsider before we can venture forth in a Cobra Mark III all over again.
VU Games has revealed profits of EUR 24 million for the three months ending September 30th, compared to EUR 11 million for the same period last year.
During the first nine months of the fiscal year, VU Games reached earnings of EUR 86 million, compared to EUR 30 million for 2005 – a huge 186.7 per cent increase.
The benchmark-setting MMOG World of Warcraft is mainly responsible for the impressive figures, with VU also attributing success to strong sales of Scarface: The World is Yours and start-up investments in Sierra Online and Vivendi Games Mobile.
However, the company doesn't expect the Q4 period to be as profitable as the past three months.
"Q4 for games will see the release of some Sierra games, these are console games, and they don't carry the same kind of margin that you have in subscriptions of WOW," noted Sandrine Dufour, deputy chief financial officer at Vivendi.
Slate is running an article lamenting the fact that, despite World of Warcraft's popularity, it is a deeply flawed game. Author Chris Dahlen makes the statement that Blizzard's MMOG should take its cues from single-player RPGs by offering further customization, morality based choices, and dynamic events. From the article:
"Blizzard has written new storylines before. Last winter, it challenged players to team up and fuel a worldwide war effort. As a payoff, it unlocked new territory. This was a good example of letting the users drive a story, but Warcraft needs more of them. New wars should break out, cities should rise and fall, and all hell should break loose at least once a month--and the players should be the ones to make it happen. After all, in a world that never changes, you can never make your mark."
I want to be snarky and point out that this guy obviously has no idea how these games are designed, but I think he pretty much nails what every MMOG player really wants out of a game. Now, if only it were feasible within the bounds of money, time, and talent.
features
Live the Adventure. Experience the authentic Eragon universe in the official movie game of the 20th Century Fox film
Your foes will crumble under the weight of your thunderous magic attacks, powerful melee combos and ruinous finishing moves
Fulfill your destiny as a Rider. With your dragon ally, experience breathless dragon flight and unleash devastating dragon summon attacks
Unlikely allies will aid you. A second player can join at any time for true drop-in co-op play with special team attack bonuses
description
What was once your life… is now your legend.
Enter a world of dragons, destiny and epic adventure to fulfill the dragon-rider legacy. The major motion picture from 20th Century Fox in theatres everywhere December 2006.
On October 25th, Blizzard/Vivendi payed a personal visit to Michael Donnelly, creator of WoW Glider and accused him of violating the DMCA. Their demands were unclear, but come in the wake of recent player bannings for using bots in the popular MMORPG. It looks like he's going to fight it, but I think it'll be an interesting case if it ever reaches the courts."
From the post:
"The visitors from Vivendi / Blizzard made demands of Michael and stated that if the demands were not met that they would file a complaint in court if he did not meet them. I asked Michael what the demands were. He was unable to comment at the time to the exact details. But I do know they handed him a copy to very briefly 'Look at'. He was not given a copy. I think I could make a good guess and say that they asked for Glider to be shut down and if they feel that they have been harmed they may have asked for a financial settlement."
First off a thank you to all those who help post news, help and moderate the sites and forums, without you all DCEmu wouldnt be what it is today.
We are now entering the most exciting time in years with the Next Gen battle field erupting with the release of the Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii along with the Xbox 360. Games from all 3 consoles will be amazing.
DCEmu employs a great News submitting system which is as easy as a forum post, infact it is a forum post, which means if your a coder or you want a review posting or you want to post/submit news for your favourite console you can.
So if you have any Gaming or Hardware reviews for any consoles or any Hacking/ Homebrew news etc then let us know via our Submit News forum.
Nintendos Wii Console Launched today in the USA, read every bit of news from the best Wii News site over at Nintendo Wii News. With so much news on the Wii youll need to be checking several times a day to not miss any.
And for those who are PS3 Fans then check out the excellent PS3 Evolution like the Wii news site it has every news item going.
Both sites will provide the best in news for each system.
One Question remains, Has anyone got a Wii and a PS3 ?
Wraps yourselves in evil's cloak to celebrate the arrival of new screenshots from Rise of the Witch-King. Obviously, feel free to emit an evil cackle into the bargain. We are - mwahahahahahaha...
Battle for Middle-earth II's expansion should be with us next month, fans of the RTS series being delivered the likes of a new single-player campaign, a brand new faction and new units. Events focus on the evil Witch-king's rise to power, his domination of Angmar and invasion of the great kingdom of Arnor. He's a bad, bad boy.
This fresh gameplay footage from Supreme Commander, the spiritual successor to RTS cult hit Total Annihilation, isn't just for show - it's a voiced walkthrough of some of the basic tasks and procedures you'll be undertaking when the game's released for PC next year. Hit the movies tab above to watch the educational video.
Supreme Commander is an RTS with huge ambition, demanding that you often wage war on multiple fronts while manipulating and building your base and bolstering your forces. And with such high developer pedigree as Gas Powered Games on board, we expect Supreme Commander to totally boss up the genre when it arrives in 2007.
Gears of War takes top place, becoming the fastest selling Xbox 360 game ever, the 2nd fastest Microsoft game ever (behind Halo 2) and the 3rd fastest Selling game this year!
GOW knocks NFS:Carbon and WWE:SVsR, down a place each. Fifa 07 ,The Sims 2: Pets, and Pro Evo 6 all swap places which each other this week, while Call of Duty 3, drops 4 places to 7th.
Lego Star wars holds firm at 8, while Bratz: Forever Diamondz jumps 27 places up with the DS release. While the PSP exclusive Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, hangs on into the top 10 after dropping 3 place.
The only other new releases in the top forty are Activision's Tony Hawk's Project 8 at number 18 and Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerebus at number 28.
Next Week: As Xmas gets closes the releases come thick and fast. Titles to look out for:
Call of Duty 3 for the PS2 should help it back up the chart. Eragon will be release on main platforms, Guitar Hero II, critically aclaimed = great sales? Phantasy Star Universe could be a hit for sega Sonic The Hedgehog poor reviews but the public could keep buying it, for the 360
We'd like to invite you to pass mince pies over Geralt, legendary monster slayer, master swordfighter with supernatural abilities and reflexes and star of CD Projekt's PC role-playing game The Witcher. Presented here in new screenshots is the big G engaging in combat and separating foes from their life blood. We've also got some environment shots for you to take a look at.
The Witcher is due out next year - published by Atari - and chucks political intrigue into the usual fantasy swords 'n' stuff mix to present a world in which "the lines between good and evil are blurred", we're informed. Sounds intriguing (badumtish). We're also promised plenty of twists in the storyline, fast-paced combat and that decisions taken through the course of the adventure can "drastically" alter the game's outcome.
While the Wii and PlayStation 3 launches hogged headlines last week, another next-gen console was also the subject of some major news. On November 16, Electronic Arts announced that Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars, already announced for the PC, is in development for the Xbox 360.
The announcement made waves, because C&C is one of the most storied series in the real-time strategy genre. It has also, with the exception of a few last-generation console ports, been primarily a PC franchise. Some have taken the 360 version as another harbinger of doom for PC gaming, while others have assumed it is merely an attempt by EA to cash in on the rising popularity of the next-gen platform.
To Mike Glosecki, the senior producer of Command & Conquer 3, the reason for the 360 C&C3 is simple--it will further prove that RTS games on consoles aren't just feasible but are actually fun. This was the approach taken by EA's Los Angeles studio when it brought The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II to the 360 in July. While the critically acclaimed game hasn't been a runaway success--selling less than 150,000 copies as of the end of September--it has done well enough to convince EALA that an Xbox 360 C&C3 is a good idea. Glosecki talked with GameSpot about the process of bringing the famous franchise to a next-generation console.
GameSpot: So what motivated you to bring the Command & Conquer franchise to the Xbox 360?
Mike Glosecki: We paved the way for Command & Conquer (C&C) with our recent release of The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II on the Xbox 360, which was widely acknowledged as the first "RTS on console done right." Our innovative new control system made the RTS experience accessible to a whole new audience. Now it's time to build on that foundation with Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars (C&C3). With its fast, fluid, and fun RTS gameplay, C&C3 is a natural for the console. We're improving everything about the console RTS experience. We've made the control system considerably more accessible and powerful, improved frame rate, eliminated lags and hitches, pumped up the graphics, and upgraded the underlying technology in a number of other ways.
For those that aren't familiar with C&C, it's worth a quick introduction to the franchise and the game: C&C is about controlling large armies of futuristic tanks, aircraft, and infantry on the battlefields of the future. The series is known for fast-action strategy gameplay, a great single-player campaign with a rich story, and terrific online multiplayer. C&C3 offers all of that and more.
GS: When can we expect to see the game on store shelves?
MG: The game will be released in 2007.
GS: How will the console version differ from the PC version? Just in the controls?
MG: I'll start with an overview of the game, then discuss some of the differences between PC and console.
C&C3 is set in a dark future where tiberium--a toxic self-replicating crystal of alien origin--is slowing taking over the Earth. Tiberium is both a gift and a curse. It is the ultimate resource, solving all of humanity's energy problems. But it is also the worst ecological catastrophe in history. It has been the catalyst for a series of devastating world wars that split the human race into two powerful factions: The Global Defense Initiative (GDI) and the Brotherhood of Nod (Nod). GDI is an alliance of advanced nations similar to the UN of today, while Nod is a virulent new form of superpower--a stateless hybrid of terrorist organization, religion, and corporation.
When you fire up C&C3, you'll get to play as GDI, Nod, or the yet-to-be-revealed third faction in the epic single-player campaign or in Xbox Live multiplayer matches. You'll get to build and control large armies made up of high-tech soldiers, tanks, and aircraft. You'll fight epic battles in a variety of cool settings. In order to win, you must harvest tiberium, using it to construct sprawling bases that in turn produce troops and vehicles. You must build up the most powerful army that you can and then use it to crush your enemies. All of this happens in a fast and fluid real-time environment in which your opponents are also building up their armies and constantly attack you. It is the ultimate high-energy RTS and is extremely addictive to play.
The story is told through full-motion video sequences (a combination of live action and CG) and is woven into every aspect of the single-player campaign--in-mission objectives, conversations you overhear on the battlefield, intelligence database entries that flesh out the gameworld, and other ways as well.
All of this is common to both PC and console. For console specifically, we have the new controls and game UI. We'll also be introducing some new multiplayer game modes--conquer, siege, and capture the flag. In conquer mode, you build your armies up to a set point limit before the game starts and then defeat your opponent in a "no reinforcements" fight to the death. Siege is a "turtling" mode where a wall of energy is put up between the players that keeps them from attacking each other for the first five minutes of gameplay. Capture the flag features a flag hidden in the middle of the map, and each team that returns the flag to their base gets a point, with the winner being the first player to five points.
We'll also be bringing back a couple of great modes from The Battle for Middle-earth II--capture & hold and king of the hill. Capture & hold is a Battlefield style of play in which there are five points in the map, and the team that controls those points for the longest period of time is the winner. King of the hill features one point to hold in the middle of the map. This makes for some very intense fighting and was one of our most popular modes from The Battle for Middle-earth II.
GS: What's planned for the multiplayer portion of the game?
MG: In addition to the new multiplayer modes described above, we will also be implementing support for the Xbox 360 vision camera. This is a cool new video chat system that launched on Xbox 360 in September. You'll be able to look into the eyes of your opponents before a match--in the game lobby--and then see and talk to them as you are playing the game itself. You'll also get to experience our cool new "winner's circle" feature. At the end of a match, the winner gets his own central video window to tell you how badly he just dominated you. This provides extra incentive to win.
GS: What's the single biggest challenge when bringing a PC RTS to a console?
MG: Up to this year, there was no question that the controls were the biggest challenge. We believe we've met that challenge with the console control system for The Battle for Middle-earth II. Our big challenge moving forward with C&C3 is to refine those controls based on our own observations and on user feedback, to really evolve them into the best RTS controls. We've been successful thus far by finding ways to not only improve the controls, like our shortcut systems, but by also improving the responsiveness of the controls. These improvements are already in the game today and will only get better was we approach launch next year.
GS: Many game-industry watchers figured that EALA would bring C&C3 to the 360 only if its first 360 real-time strategy title, The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II, did well on the console. According to the NPD Group, the 360 BFMEII sold just under 150,000 copies as of the end of September. Is that considered a success?
MG: There is a tremendous audience for both The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II and C&C worldwide. The Battle for Middle-earth II received various press accolades and favorable reviews, and we were pleased overall with the consumer response. Notably, The Battle for Middle-earth II was number three on the charts for Xbox 360 in the month it shipped and is still in the top 25 overall for the platform year to date in North America.
Given this, we believe that strategy games have a place on the Xbox 360, and the genre will continue to grow on all next-gen systems in the coming years.
GS: Many PC purists feel that there's no place for real-time strategy games on a console. How would you respond to those charges?
MG: I started as a skeptic but became an instant convert when [EALA vice president of creative development] Louis Castle first showed me the new control system. The system actually made sense and was easy to pick up and use. Now, looking back at the finished product, The Battle for Middle-earth II, I believe that we've proven that there is a place for RTS games on console. For those that are still skeptical, I say go out and try playing The Battle for Middle-earth II on the Xbox 360 by downloading the free demo that we have on Xbox Live Marketplace.
GS: Previous attempts to bring RTS games to consoles have fared poorly. Why do you think C&C3 will succeed where others have failed?
MG: I believe that we will succeed mainly because of our focus on making a control system that is both easy to pick up and use and one that feels native to the console system. We are not trying to emulate a mouse and keyboard on the Xbox 360; rather, we are focused on innovating how you access and give orders to your units and structures.
GS: Do you feel that, given the processing power of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, more real-time strategy games will be ported to next-generation consoles than before?
MG: Absolutely. I think that we've opened the door for many developers by showing that it can be done and done well. There certainly are no real hardware barriers; both systems are capable of running a very rich-looking and terrific-playing high-end RTS game.
GS: Why do you think Microsoft won't support 360 gameplay with a keyboard peripheral? Wouldn't that make things easier for both developers and players?
MG: I can't answer for Microsoft, but from my perspective, it is the right decision to stay with the controller for console games. Our game is designed to be played in your living room, and I don't think the keyboard is part of that experience. Our team strongly believes that the console controls are easier to pick up and learn for new players and that an experienced player could play as well as or better than a player using the keyboard. You also get some control advantages with the Xbox 360 version. Rotating the camera, for example, is so easy to do on the console version that you find people doing it all the time to get the best view of their army, and this key advantage becomes very noticeable in C&C3's city environments. I strongly believe that some day we will be able to play a console RTS vs. a PC RTS and that the world will be surprised when a console gamer is beating all of the best PC players.
GS: Does EALA have any plans to bring RTS games to the PlayStation 3?
MG: We currently do not have plans for a PS3 RTS game, but bringing an RTS to the PS3 is certainly a possibility in the future.
GS: Does EALA plan on consistently making RTS games for both the 360 and the PC?
MG: Determining which platforms to develop strategy games for will continue to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Many factors are taken into consideration when making this decision, and in the case of C&C3, we believe that it is a perfect fit for the Xbox 360, and we look forward to having new C&C fans as well as longtime fans experience the series on the next-gen platform.
GS: If C&C3 is a success on the console, might we see older C&C titles being made available for the 360, perhaps on Xbox Live Marketplace?
MG: I wouldn't rule out the possibility, but nothing is currently planned for this.
GS: EA seems to be very keen on releasing episodic content for its 360 games on Xbox Live Marketplace. Can we assume C&C3 will be updated by premium content?
MG: We are currently looking at the types of new content that we can provide for Xbox Live Marketplace and will keep you posted.
Hawq on IRC just posted a link where some body was selling 3 Playstations not PS3s theres some crafty wording in the auction saying about dont preorder and the 20gb version etc and the auction sold for $900
Thats a tad expensive for 3 PS1 consoles, remember please read the auction very carefully.
Today, Electronic Arts announced the development of a videogame based off of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The game's release is scheduled for July 2007 in order to coincide with the release of the feature film also based on the book.
The events and locations of the game are designed to closely replicate those of the novel and the film. Players will be able to explore each of the film's key areas, while contending with magical adversaries like only Harry can do. The game gives players the ability to play multiple characters including Harry Potter, Dumbledore, and Sirius Black.
Under development by EA's UK Studio, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is scheduled for release on the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PSP, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, and PC.
Check out Harry Potter News for the latest news from Hogwarts including a 4 minute trailer of the upcoming film.
Finally the Xbox360 Site gets a much needed new design and with a new homebrew scene incoming its about time we made the site into a must see site at DCEmu. It already is a great source of Xbox 360 News but with a new look it will hopefully spur us on to make it the killer site it needs to be.
All the main (not coders) sites will be getting a fresh new look, thanks must go to Soully for another great design template and also to Martin for his amazing work behind the scenes to help DCEmu become even bigger and better.
The inevitable Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix videogame is being brought to - wait for it - Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, DS, GBA and PC by EA in 2007.
It's launch set to coincide with the release of the Order of the Phoenix movie next July, the game relives the fifth-instalment adventures of Potter and pals as the wizard and witch war between Lord Voldermort and his minions and the good guys escalates.
"The close and synergistic relationship between book, film and videogame is more defined in the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix videogame than ever before. Players will be able to explore the many key locations within Hogwarts in minute detail, each one a visual match to its film equivalent, while being engrossed in the thrilling adventures outlined in the rich narrative of the book", EA informs.
Potter fanatics can look forward to controlling many of the series famous characters - Harry obviously, along with the likes of Dumbledore and Sirius Black - throughout the tale in locations that EA promises "accurately reflect the world showcased in the film".
Listen up sinners, the end is nigh and you better find out how not to get left behind. Sadly, it looks like you'll be spending more time getting those that are left behind to listen to commands in the Christian-sci fi apocolyptic RTS game. There is also no Kirk Cameron (Growing Pains) in the game, like there is in the movie and on your local Christian television station preaching the word of the Holy Gospel. Also, curiously, there are hardly any reviews on this game a full two weeks after launch. Looks like a few outlets are afraid to touch or talk about this title.
IGN (59/100): "The basic design of the game is intriguing and worthy of a better treatment than it gets here. Fighting for and keeping recruits requires some thoughtful and persistent strategies ... unfortunately, the inconsistent behavior of your recruits means you'll spend more time fighting the interface than the Antichrist."
UnderGroundOnline (88/100): "Eternal Forces has a lot of new and innovative elements for an RTS game, but it may be too slow paced for people who want action and aggressive gameplay. If you're a fan of the Left Behind movies or books, though, you may enjoy being able to shape the world like the heroes in the canon works do."
JustAdventure (77/100): "Eternal Forces is an RTS with a couple of interesting variations. It is written in a religious setting, but is not preachy nor does it condone violence against the heathens. If anything, it discourages violence and intolerance ... we have a professionally crafted game, but with significant flaws. It comes close, but I just don't think it's going to make it with either the Gamers, who will want more screen action, or the Adventurers, who will want less adrenaline."
Play Asia one of the worlds biggest sellers of Video Games and Consoles have posted a full listing of whats been released this week:
Nintendo Wii™:
Avatar: The Last Airbender US N/A
Call of Duty 3 US US$ 59.90
Cars US N/A
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 US US$ 59.90
Excite Truck US N/A
GT Pro Series (with wheel) US N/A
Happy Feet US N/A
Madden NFL 07 US US$ 59.90
Marvel Ultimate Alliance US N/A
Monster 4X4: World Circuit US N/A
Monster 4X4: World Circuit (with wheel) US US$ 69.90
Need for Speed Carbon US N/A
Nintendo Wii (incl. Wii Sports) + The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess US US$ 599.00
Rampage: Total Destruction US US$ 39.90
Rayman: Raving Rabbids US N/A
Red Steel US US$ 59.90
SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature From the Krusty Krab US N/A
Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz US US$ 59.90
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy US N/A
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess US N/A
Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam US US$ 59.90
Trauma Center: Second Opinion US US$ 59.90
PlayStation3™:
Call of Duty 3 US N/A
D Terminal Cable US$ 32.90
Genji: Days of the Blade US US$ 64.90
Madden NFL 07 US US$ 64.90
Mahjong Taikai IV JPN US$ 49.90
Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire US US$ 64.90
NBA '07 US US$ 64.90
NBA 2K7 US US$ 64.90
NHL 2K7 US US$ 64.90
Need for Speed: Carbon US N/A
Resistance: Fall of Man US US$ 64.90
Ridge Racer 7 US US$ 64.90
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 US N/A
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 ASIA US$ 49.90
Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom US US$ 64.90
Xbox360™:
Blitz: The League US US$ 49.90
Culdcept Saga JPN US$ 69.90
Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 ASIA US$ 39.90
Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 [First Print Limited Edition] JPN US$ 79.90
Gears of War Euro N/A
NBA Live 07 JPN US$ 64.90
Spectral Force 3: Innocent Rage KOR US$ 59.90
Superman Returns: The Videogame ASIA US$ 39.90
Viva Pinata [Limited Edition] US N/A
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 ASIA US$ 44.90
X-Men: The Official Game JPN US$ 64.90
Xbox 360 Faceplate (Dead or Alive Xtreme 2) JPN N/A
Xbox 360 HD DVD Player JPN US$ 199.90
PlayStation2™:
Capcom Classics Collection Volume 2 US US$ 29.90
Galaxy Angel Animation-ized Box Set JPN US$ 169.90
Galaxy Angel: Moonlit Lovers (Broccoli Best Quality) JPN US$ 34.90
Guitar Hero II US US$ 59.90
GuitarFreaks V2 & DrumMania V2 JPN US$ 64.90
J-League Winning Eleven 10 + Europe League '06-'07 JPN US$ 64.90
K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 JPN US$ 64.90
Kohitsuji Hokaku Keakaku! Sweet Boys Life JPN US$ 64.90
Kohitsuji Hokaku Keakaku! Sweet Boys Life [Limited Edition] JPN US$ 79.90
NBA Live 07 JPN US$ 64.90
Naruto Uzumaki Chronicles US US$ 49.90
PlayStation2 Console Pink (SCPH-77000PK) JPN US$ 179.00
PlayStation2 Satin Silver (SCPH-77000SS) JPN US$ 179.00
Sega Genesis Collection US US$ 29.90
Tenshou Gakuen Gekkou Hasumi JPN US$ 64.90
The King of Fighters NeoWave (SNK Best Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
Twinkle Star Spirits: La Petite Princesse (SNK Best Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
White Breath: Kizuna JPN US$ 64.90
White Breath: Kizuna [First Print Limited Edition] JPN US$ 79.90
Nintendo DS™:
Bokura no Taiyou: Django and Sabata JPN US$ 48.90
Charlotte's Web US US$ 34.90
Exclusive Cleaner Set US$ 9.90
Final Fantasy III US US$ 39.90
Goutouchi Kentei DS JPN US$ 39.90
Gunpey DS US US$ 34.90
Jump Ultimate Stars JPN US$ 48.90
Lite Slipon Puff (black) US$ 9.90
Lite Slipon Puff (blue) US$ 9.90
Lite Slipon Puff (pink) US$ 9.90
Lite Slipon Puff (white) US$ 9.90
Minna no DS Karingu JPN US$ 19.90
One Piece DS Lite Accessory Set N/A
Oshare Majo Love and Berry (DS Collection) JPN US$ 58.90
Oshare Majo Love and Berry (DS Collection) Special Pack JPN N/A
Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2 US US$ 34.90
Sony PSP™:
Brave Story JPN US$ 14.90
Jeanne D'Arc ASIA US$ 42.90
Jeanne D'Arc JPN US$ 48.90
Layer Cake JPN US$ 37.90
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy KOR US$ 49.90
Medal of Honor: Heroes (Chinese language packing) ASIA US$ 42.90
Medal of Honor: Heroes (English language packing) ASIA US$ 42.90
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny Special Edition II - Each Sword JPN US$ 37.90
Mortal Kombat Deception: Unchained US US$ 39.90
Need For Speed: Carbon Own the City KOR US$ 49.90
PSP Accessories Pack AV Pack US$ 37.90
PSP Accessories Pack Game Pack US$ 37.90
PSP PlayStation Portable - Pink (PSP-1000PK) JPN US$ 199.90
Riviera: Yakusoku no Chi JPN US$ 48.90
Misc Accessory:
Upscan Converter+ TV US$ 119.90
PC Games:
Eragon ASIA US$ 34.90
Guide Books:
Call of Duty 3 Official Strategy Guide US US$ 17.90
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Revised & Expanded US US$ 24.90
F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Assault Recon: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 19.90
Final Fantasy III Official Strategy Guide US US$ 18.90
Gears of War Limited Edition Strategy Guide (Leather Bound) US US$ 34.90
Phantasy Star Universe Official Strategy Guide US US$ 22.90
Resistance: Fall of Man Signature Series Guide US US$ 19.90
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Player's Guide US US$ 16.90
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 18.90
Yoshi's Island DS Player's Guide US US$ 16.90
Toys & Misc:
Dance Dance Revolution: Strawberry Shortcake US US$ 39.90
Dead or Alive Xtreme 2: Ayane Poster US$ 9.90
Dead or Alive Xtreme 2: Helena Poster US$ 9.90
Dead or Alive Xtreme 2: Hitomi Poster US$ 9.90
Dead or Alive Xtreme 2: Kasumi Poster US$ 9.90
Dead or Alive Xtreme 2: Kokoro Poster US$ 9.90
Dead or Alive Xtreme 2: Lei Fang Poster US$ 9.90
Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball 2 Calendar US US$ 19.90
Dragon Quest Metallic Monsters Gallery - Type 10 Metal Rider US$ 20.90
Dragon Quest Metallic Monsters Gallery - Type 11 Metal Chimera US$ 20.90
Dragon Quest Metallic Monsters Gallery - Type 12 Stoneman US$ 24.90
Dragon Quest Metallic Monsters Gallery - Type 7 Slime Knight US$ 20.90
Dragon Quest Metallic Monsters Gallery - Type 8 Chimera US$ 20.90
Dragon Quest Metallic Monsters Gallery - Type 9 Goldman US$ 24.90
Exceed A Generation Figure Collection Vol.1 US$ 7.90
Fate/Hollow Ataraxia 1/6 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure - Saber Swimsuit Version US$ 54.90
Gundam Seed Destiny Cosmix Figure Collection US$ 6.90
Jump Ultimate Stars Postcard Book US$ 9.90
Let's! TV Play Naruto - Naruto- Ninja Body Induction Datebayo JPN US$ 69.90
Monster Hunter - Hunter Goods Collection Life Figure US$ 4.99
Tales of the Abyss 1/8 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure - Tear Grants US$ 39.90
To Heart 2 1/7 Scale Pre-Painted Figure: Kousaka Tamaki Frill Bikini Ver. US$ 54.90
Video Game Soundtracks:
Drama CD Tales of the Abyss Vol.3 JPN US$ 27.90
Eternity (Blue Dragon Theme Song) JPN US$ 10.90
Front Mission Alternative Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 19.90
Galaxy Angel II Mugen Kairo No Kagi Intro Theme: Wing of Destiny Repackaged Version JPN US$ 11.90
Hokenshitsu He Yokoso-Original Audio Collection- JPN US$ 27.90
Korochan Pack PSP Playstation Portable Software: LocoRoco [12-cm CD + Picture Book] JPN US$ 11.90
Mizu No Senritsu 2-Hi No Kioku-Character Song Flame Series 1 JPN US$ 23.90
Mobile Suit Gundam: Target In Sight Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 28.90
Palais De Reine Perfect Audiotracks JPN US$ 27.90
Project Sylpheed Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 19.90
Remember Memories JPN US$ 11.90
Sen No Yoru To Hitotsu No Asa/Hoshi No Inori (Hi no Kioku Theme Song) JPN US$ 11.90
Tenchu Senran Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 27.90
Utawarerumono - Chiriyuku Mono e no Komoriuta - Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 23.90
Watashi no Namida to Sora (Blue Dragon Intro Song) JPN US$ 10.90
Yell! (Anime Super Robot Taisen OG Divine Wars) JPN US$ 11.90
DS keeps kicking ass, as always and the Sony are making PS3 as fast as they can for the Japanese public to snap them up.
But not so good news for Sony's other children, the PS2 understandable sales drop, but the PSP just keeps falling to near the 15,000 mark, is this the beginning of the end for the PSP in Japan?
The 360, has pick up its pace in the last few weeks, and the is the only console (bar the GameCube) to impove sales this week. But its still lags far behind, Can the hotly anticipated "Blue Dragon", kick xbox sales up the ass? we will find out on the 7 of Dec.
Piranha Bytes is frequently credited as the originator of the vast, living worlds showcased in their RPG series Gothic. Unfortunately, this German developer's roleplaying adventures also carry the stigma of non-intuitive interface design, a flawed combat system, and production values that are inconsistent at best. Having just been released in the States, Gothic 3 once again finds the series lost in translation with poor (and sometimes nonexistent) voice acting, and a host of bugs that make it difficult to recommend. Still, those willing to struggle with the controls and wait for patches will find a well-implemented faction influence system that hints at Gothic's still unrealized potential.
EuroGamer (80/100) was willing to overlook many of Gothic 3's shortcomings: "This time, however, by concentrating on evolving in its own niche, number three succeeds on its own terms: an interface that actually works, a modern lick of paint, and an (albeit misfiring) attempt to revise its fighting system; now's as good an opportunity as ever to step onto that carousel of orc-bashing familiarity."
Pro-G (60/10) suggests waiting for updates, but was fascinated nonetheless: "So, what have I listed up so far for Gothic 3? Terrible graphics, dialogue and narration, and a needlessly resource-hungry engine that renders a large amount of the game unplayable? Yep, check all those. But, ludicrous as it sounds, Gothic 3 has some strangely addictive and compelling qualities that I really have no explanation for."
GameSpy (30/100) drew many comparisons to Oblivion: "The difference is that while the basic design of the Gothic games is equal (and occasionally even superior) to Bethesda's offerings, they've also labored under terrible coding, a god-awful number of bugs and weird design decisions that make the releases (including Gothic 3) fail to even come close to fulfilling their potential."
features
Bigger and better battles. Improved combat choreography, larger armies, quicker pace, and spectacular finishing moves make this the most visceral and exciting Total War ever.
New epic campaign. The ambitious single player campaign will span three continents and let players sail across to the Americas to confront the Aztecs on their home soil.
Greater accessibility. An enhanced user interface and an improved multiplayer mode make the Total War experience faster and easier to enjoy than ever before.
Over 40 new features. An advanced terrain system, enhanced weather effects, and more will help you divide and conquer.
description
Take command of your army and expand your reign in Medieval II - the fourth installment of the award-winning Total War series of strategy games. Direct massive battles featuring more than 10,000 bloodthirsty troops on epic 3D battlefields, while presiding over some of the greatest Medieval nations of the Western and Middle Eastern world. Spanning the most turbulent era in European history, your quest for territory and power takes you through Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and even onto the shores of the New World.
You’ll manage your empire with an iron fist in the turn-based Campaign Map, handling everything from building and improving cities to recruiting and training armies. Employ diplomacy to manipulate allies and enemies, outsmart the dreaded Inquisition, and influence the Pope. Lead the fight in the Crusades and bring victory to Islam or Christianity in the Holy War. Rewrite history and conquer the world. This is Total War!
* Terminated Function
- "View:Video Output:V-sync cycle"
* Newly Created Function
- "Run:Sync"
- "Run:Time"
* Compiler was changed from bcc to gcc(mingw).
The new Treamcast version, a collector for hard core Sega fans, is now available: Meet the Treamcast SE, more portable Dreamcast for retro fans!
Overview of the product
Treamcast Special Edition is the latest edition of the Treamcast family. This special edition comes in matt black with a sharp TFT screen for optimum performance. This collectors edition has also be redesigned using the some of feedback we have received from happy users.
Specification
- Matt Black for a more sleek look.
- The first 128bit console
- Advance PowerVR graphics chip
- Samsung 5” TFT screen for optimum performance
- Brightness and Volume control
- Headphone output
- Plays all region Dreamcast games
- Plays Dreamcast homebrews
- 12v car adapter
- 100-240V auto switching power adapter comes with 2 pin cable (cable can be changed to suit your needs)
- Comes with an original Dreamcast controller for optimum performance
- Can be connected to a normal TV (cable not supply and its outputs a NTSC signal for best compability)
Age of Conan dev Funcom's poking us in a bleary Monday morning eye with new media from it's Barbarian-inspired MMOG on PC.
What we've got is new screenshots and a new trailer, both of which focus on one of the game's locations - Conall's Valley. The trailer's a fly-through affair while the screenshots have been taken specifically to showcase the landscape technology Funcom has created for Age of Conan (although an 'interior' image has sneaked into the batch).
Funcom's combining single-player with more traditional MMOG fare with its title, and we're keen to see how it turns out. Age of Conan should be with us next year.
Richard Taylor, cinematic director on Command & Conquer 3, has been talking about the live action video sequences he's, ah, directing that form an integral part of the RTS sequel experience.
In an interview published on the official C&C 3 website, he discusses the likes what it's been like working with the actors who have been secured for the sequences, reveals how "Shooting this material for C&C 3 has been a terrific experience" and how he approached the game's script.
He describes C&C 3's script as having "a lot more intricate and interesting human interaction, more emotion" when compared to other videogame scripts, and informs that the "dialog is more refined and believable" - and this is tied to "a more complex storyline running throughout the game".
Taylor additionally touches on player interaction with the live action video sequences he's directing, revealing that for him "the most important thing is the believability and the emotional impact the player feels when a real human being looks you in the eye".
"I think the emotional charge you get when Tricia Helfer looks you in the eye and pleads for your help will touch you like no cg character can", he adds.
Next month, PC Battle for Middle-earth II expansion Rise of the Witch-king will be hoisting its RTS banner in your local games emporium. A new single-player campaign and new faction are waiting to be unpacked, and the expansion additionally heralds the arrival of new units for the game's existing factions - it's these units that are the focus of a new Witch-king video diary viewable on this here page.
In the video diary, producer Amir Rahimi, chats about the impact of the voice of the community on the new units for existing factions and a new unit type called the 'mini hero horde' that's being introduced. Rahimi explains that the goal behind creating the new unit type "was to enhance certain faction strategies". Plus, he talks about new heroes and new regular units that have also been added to existing factions. Naturally, the diary features gameplay footage focussing the new additions being discussed.
Hi all, since the death of Lik Sang and Problems with Paypal i have been trying to get a new sponsor for the coding competition but to no avail, at present all Paypal donations were refunded and with the loss of 2 of the remaining 4 prizes it has caused a problem for the competition.
So its with sadness that im going to temporarily postpone the Coding Competition until after the new year and secure some new sponsors for the Coding Contest.
I aplogise to all those who have entered so far, i have been trying for a month to secure new prizes etc but the postponing for now will help me get things sorted and maybe have a bigger comp for the likes of PS3, wii and xbox360 also.
So again to the coders who have already entered a big sorry to you, luckily theres about 20 other coding comps at the mo and some with better prizes than what we had to offer.
BioWare has admitted that its not looking to kill the mighty World of Warcraft with its hotly anticipated MMOG currently in development.
"There hasn't really been anything that's been built to beat it [WoW] yet - but we just want to be competitive," the developer's Gordon Walton, co-studio director at BioWare Austin, revealed in an interview on 1up.com.
"Will some people who play WoW play our game? Of course. But we'd be better off if we got new customers, too. It's not a zero-sum game out there".
BioWare's MMOG project has been shrouded in secrecy previously, but breaking silence on it in the interview the dev additionally spoke about the philosophy that's forming the backbone of its game.
Rich Vogel, co-studio director of product development explained: "The key points we're gonna do that no one's done before in an MMOG are bring story, character and emotion to it". Elaborating on the story element, James Ohlen, creative director at BioWare Austin informed that the dev wants to bring "what BioWare's famous for to the online space, and one of the things BioWare's famous for is storytelling".
He continued: "Most 'storytelling' in MMORPGs is just FedEx quests - you know, you have to go get some eggs -- and it's presented in a format that's just a bunch of text thrown at you in paragraph for ...and that's not so exciting. We want to bring a level of storytelling that's equal to the single-player box games that BioWare has done. I think we can do that. One of the big challenges will be making our storytelling work in an environment that has multiple players."
BioWare still might be refusing to discuss the game's setting, but the developer did go on to reveal the likes of plans to have a good selection of visual customisation for player characters, how it'll be possible to solo in the MMOG and that end-game content is a major part of the design plan and different to WoW's end-game model: "...we don't want players to be stuck grinding through the same content over and over again".
In fact, the developer made it clear that it doesn't want to encourage playing through the same content over and over in general, but rather that it wants "to encourage players to continue to make progress in their story, to do new quests, consume new content, constantly move forward," James Ohlen divulged.
And when will we see BioWare's MMOG released? Well, it'll be out when the developer's 100-percent happy with it.
In the run up to Christmas, Electronic Arts has taken FIFA 07 back to the top of the All Formats charts, knocking last week's number one, Gears of War, down to number three.
Shifting gears to take the number two position is Need for Speed Carbon, a franchise that has taken the coveted Christmas number one title in previous years.
EA also takes the number four position with The Sims 2: Pets, while Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 6 manages to climb this week, up one place to number five.
THQ's wrestler WWE Smackdown Vs RAW drops three places to number six, just ahead of three titles all staying in the same position as last week: Call of Duty 3 at seven, Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy at eight and Bratz: Forever Diamonds at nine.
Cars manages to sneak back into the top ten at number 10, proving there's still plenty of life left in the movie tie-in.
This week's only new entry in the top forty is Activison and RedOctane's Guitar Hero II, making its debut at number 16.
Meanwhile, a number of high-profile new entries have failed to make the top forty, including SEGA's Sonic The Hedgehog on Xbox 360, the multiformat Happy Feet from Midway, EA's Cricket 07, Deep Silver's Warhammer: Mark of Chaos and Eidos' latest Who Wants to be a Millionaire: Party Edition.
Heres the full list of whats new this week from the HongKong Shop Play Asia:
PlayStation2™:
Kamen Rider Kabuto JPN US$ 59.90
Need For Speed: Carbon ASIA US$ 39.90
Summon Night 4 JPN US$ 64.90
Tales of Destiny ASIA US$ 59.90
Sony PSP™:
Bleach: Heat the Soul 2 (PSP the Best) ASIA US$ 24.90
Bokujou Monogatari: Harvest Moon Boy and Girl (PSP the Best) ASIA US$ 24.90
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee (English language version) (PSP the Best) ASIA US$ 24.90
Nintendo DS™:
Futari wa PreCure: Splash Star Panpaka Game de Zekkouchou! JPN US$ 48.90
Headphone DS Lite US$ 9.90
Tank Beat JPN US$ 48.90
Zoids Battle Colosseum JPN US$ 48.90
Misc Hori/PSP™PS3™ compatible accessories:
Clear Case Portable (crystal) US$ 9.90
Clear Case Portable (graphite) US$ 9.90
D Terminal Cable HG Metal JPN US$ 24.90
FM Transmitter Portable US$ 39.90
Multi Card Reader/Writer US$ 24.90
S Terminal Cable HG Metal JPN US$ 22.90
Sony HDMI Cable (1 meter / 3.3 ft) US$ 39.90
USB Cable Portable US$ 5.99
USB Cable Portable (Rolling-Up Type) US$ 6.99
Toys:
Blue Dragon Character Collection N/A
Creators' Labo 1/7 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Burst Angel Meg - Special Color Version (Pink) US$ 62.90
Dragon Quest Legend Items Gallery US$ 5.99
FineScenery Super Black Jack Painted PVC Figure: Rio US$ 67.90
Happiness 1/8 Scale Painted PVC Figure: Haruhi Kamisaka US$ 56.90
Petit Studio School Rumble Figure Collection US$ 5.99
Witchblade 1/6 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Maria US$ 69.90
Popular Soundtrack releases:
Super Eurobeat presents Initial D Absolute Album feat. Keisuke Takahashi [Limited Edition] JPN US$ 37.90
Together / Kimi no Soba de -Hikari no Theme- (TV Anime Pocket Monster Diamond & Pearl Intro & Outro Theme) JPN US$ 12.90
Together / Kimi no Soba de -Hikari no Theme- (TV Anime Pocket Monster Diamond & Pearl Intro & Outro Theme) [CD+DVD Limited Edition] JPN US$ 17.90
