LucasArts release the Force on the Wii - Spring 2008

Star Wars The Force Unleashed Coming to Nintendo's Platform with Exclusive Duel Mode

LucasArts today revealed that Star Wars: The Force Unleashed™ will come to the Wii™ home videogame system from Nintendo next spring, offering owners the unique chance to live out their Jedi fantasies by wielding the Wii Remote™ as a lightsaber while using the Nunchuk™ controller to torment foes with their Force™ powers.

The Force Unleashed casts players as Darth Vader's "Secret Apprentice" and promises to unveil new revelations about the Star Wars galaxy. The game's expansive story is set during the largely unexplored era between Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. In it, players will assist the iconic villain in his quest to rid the universe of Jedi - and face decisions that could change the course of their destiny.

The Wii version, in development by Krome Studios, will also add an exclusive duel mode in which players can compete head-to-head with their friends to determine the ultimate Jedi Master.

"The Wii is a great platform for The Force Unleashed, because the console's motion-oriented controllers really bring the game to life," said Jim Ward, President of LucasArts. "We've worked hard to make the Wii version of the game unique in order to truly let you unleash the Force."

More About Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

The Force Unleashed is the first next-generation game developed internally at LucasArts, and will be available on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.

As its name implies, The Force Unleashed completely re-imagines the scope and scale of the Force by taking full advantage of newly developed technologies that will be seen and experienced for the first time: Digital Molecular Matter, by Pixelux Entertainment, and euphoria by NaturalMotion Ltd.

"The combination of our great story, memorable characters, and the revolutionary new technology that we're introducing will deliver something Star Wars fans have never seen before, in addition to attracting newcomers to gaming, something that is very important to us," added Ward.

LucasArts and developer Krome Studios are creating an equally enthralling version of The Force Unleashed on the Wii, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, and n-Space, Inc., is developing a version for the Nintendo DS™. All will feature the same storyline, with opportunities to unleash the Force in devastating new ways.

Working with Lucas Licensing, LucasArts is preparing an unprecedented promotional effort around the launch of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, encompassing a full line of toys and game-based action figures from Hasbro, as well as a full publishing program from Dark Horse, Del Rey and Palace Press.

More information about the game can be found at the official website, www.theforceunleashed.com, which will continue to release details throughout the year.

Battle Gear Counter-Strike

3-Month Weekly Competition Offering Over $3,500 in Player Product Prizes at 50+ iGames Centers across US and Canada

Product Sponsors Include BFG®, Razer™, Antec®, Patriot Memory and Abit

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, September 19, 2007—iGames, the world’s leading game center organization, today announced the Battle Gear Counter-Strike™ Source Fall Game Night, a 3-month weekly ladder with special events to be held at 50+ iGames member centers across the United States and Canada, with over $3,500 in player prizes in the balance from top gear sponsors BFG®, Razer™, Antec®, Patriot Memory and Abit.

Format:

• The program will run every Wednesday evening from Sept 12 through Dec 12 from 7 PM to 10 PM EST.

• The event will be a team-based 5-v-5 Ladder facilitated over IRC complete with Match History and Standings tracked on a dedicated iGames Mini-Site.

• A special night of events will occur on Wednesday, October 17 for a Mid-Season Break. Additional details will be posted at a later date on the event Mini-Site.

• In total 8 teams will advance to the playoffs which will run November 28 to December 12.

Prizes:

Each player (five per team) on a winning placing team at the conclusion of playoffs will win the following respective prizes:

1st Place Team
+ BFG 6800 GTS OC 256MB PCIe video card

2nd Place
+ Razer Tarantula gaming keyboard
+ Razer DeathAdder gaming mouse

3rd Place
+ Antec Nine Hundred computer case

4th Place
+ Patriot Extreme Performance (EP) Low Latency PC2-6400 2GB memory kit

5th Place
+ Abit IL9 Pro motherboard

For registration and rules, along with the event schedule and complete list of participating iGames center, visit www.igames.org or contact the iGames events team at events@igames.org.

Bomberman Live

Hudson Entertainment, the North American publishing arm for Hudson Soft, today announced that they have partnered with Destructoid.com, one of the top video game entertainment news sites, in Bomb-Up Pack 2, the second add-on pack for the Bomberman LIVE game on Xbox LIVE® Arcade. This new add-on pack will star Destructoid’s mascot as a playable character, as well as feature over a dozen additions, including ten characters, two levels, two leader boards, and a brand new game mode. Bomb-Up Pack 2 is expected to launch on September 26 and will cost 250 Microsoft Points ($3.13).

“We continue to see great success with Bomberman Live, and are committed to bringing fresh new content through add-on packs for the game,” said John Greiner, President and CEO of Hudson Entertainment. “Hudson is always pushing the creative envelope, and featuring a major gaming website in a game, a first for the industry, is a fun way to demonstrate our dedication to the community.”

“Not only is it an honor to have Destructoid represented in Bomberman Live, but it may also be the first time an online community has been immortalized in a popular gaming franchise,” said Niero Gonzalez, Creator of Destructoid.com. “We’re grateful that Hudson has extended our brand in this unique way, and invite all gamers to wreak havoc as the infamous Mr. Destructoid.”

This Bomberman LIVE add-on pack will add the following features:
The Destructoid Mascot – The iconic, robotic mascot makes his way into the game, complete with his trademark helmet and white suit. Players can dress up their Bomberman as the robot and bomb away with the impunity of a blogger.
Ten New Characters – In addition to Destructoid, other new characters include “Bomberella” the cavewoman and “El Bombito” the matador, resulting in countless new ways for players to customize their in-game Bomberman.
Two Additional Levels – New arenas include “Medieval Times,” a level in which bombs and sorcery collide, and the hypersonic “Full Tilt.” racetrack
One New Game Mode – “Bomb Shelters” will allow players to hide from explosions in a small, fireproof building.
Two New Leaderboards – Dominate the competition on two new ranking systems on the Xbox LIVE® network. The new leaderboards will track performance on both a weekly and an all-time basis for the speed circle gimmicks on the new “Full Tilt” map.
About Bomberman
Originally launched in the US in 1987, the game captured gamers’ hearts with its simple yet challenging gameplay. With over 60 iterations on nearly all major consoles since then, and over 10 million units sold, winning accolades as the best multiplayer game of all time, this classic game has stood the test of time. The overall design appeals to gamers of all ages, and to both men and women. The game is simple enough: from a top-down perspective, you compete against other players in a grid-like arena. Your only weapon is a bomb, which you can drop to clear out obstacles or to knock out your opponents. Players can pick up upgrades, which become available when they clear obstacles, to increase their chances of winning. The game is fun, yet frantic, and brings out the most competitive spirit in all of us! The new Bomberman Live game has garnered numerous awards, is currently a top seller on the Xbox LIVE® Arcade platform.

The Sims 2 Teen Style Stuff Fact Sheet

Give your teen Sims everything they need to express their unique style with The Sims 2 Teen Style Stuff! Now your teen Sims can show some attitude with all-new, unique furniture, decor items, fashions and more with three distinct themes - "Goth", "Thrasher" and "Socialite". Give your Sims a new phone, stereo, TV and other gadgets to keep them up to date and in touch with their friends. Make sure your Sims are always sporting the latest teen fashions including track suits, designer jeans, and yoga outfits. Let your young Sims express themselves in ways only teenagers can!

The Fabulous Life Of The Socialite

Design a bedroom fit for a princess with a luxurious bed complete with drapery crown and a classy vanity table.
A delicately carved wardrobe is perfect for your Socialite teen to keep her designer jeans and other stylish accessories.
Young girl Sims can lounge around in chic pajamas that put a cute cami and pants with matching fuzzy slippers.
Get The Extreme Sport Lifestyle

Deck out your Sims's roo with a skateboard and surfboard wall sculpture to reflect their edge yet laidback lifestyle.
Give them khaki cargo shorts and other chill clothes that are perfect for lounging.
The Dark World Of The Goth

Transform your Goth Sim's room into a reflection of their dark soul with gloomy furnishings like a black and red armoire and plush, velvet chairs.
Fill their wardrobe with dark and rebellious attire including buckles, belts and heavy boots for him and leather, tattoos and fishnets for her.

PSP Slim and Lite remodel a "head in the sand" move

The UMD is a dead format that's a waste of money, time, and investment according to David Perry.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, the Shiny founder and operator of GameConsultants.com revealed what he would do if he were in charge of PlayStation Portable development.

"They really need to restart the PSP programme in my book. They really need to bring out the PSP 3.0 and start again and try to get a lot of units out by reducing the manufacturing costs, by taking out all the motors and drives and stuff they have in there."

"That will make it even more sexy-looking, because it will be thinner again when they get all that junk out. Then, hopefully, the platform will actually get enough interest so that people will make a game specifically for it," Perry said.

He referred to the recent PSP Slim and Lite remodel as a "head in the sand" move.

As for what current PSP owners will do with their UMDs if Sony turns to a download-only handheld, Perry said that it would be fairly trivial to include software to validate that a user owns a certain game, much like iTunes. With authentication, users should be allowed to download digital versions of UMD games they already own.

When questioned as to why Sony hadn't already done this, Perry responded: "The truth is, the stores will not carry PSPs unless they feel they are going to get a piece of the action on the back end. And Sony has not come up with an innovative business model that can support that concept."

But with the industry moving in the direction of digital downloads, Sony needs to come up with a shared revenue system eventually.

"Maybe its an even slightly better deal because there is no cost of goods, and shipping, insurance, and warehousing is all out the window...so maybe the store gets a little bit more. And they get more of their shelf space back, which is their most valuable asset."

Source: Games Industry