FIFA Soccer 08 Kicks Off at iGames

Exclusive Launch Party, Showcase, at Select iGames Member Centers Across North America to Celebrate Release of Blockbuster Sports Title

One-Day Launch Party, October 13; Two-Week Showcase, October 15-28

WHAT:
Leading game center organization iGames will host a series of special events to celebrate the release of EA SPORTS™ FIFA Soccer 08, the latest installment of the blockbuster sports title.

WHEN:
The first event will be a one-day launch party, Saturday, October 13, followed by an expanded showcase, October 15-28, allowing FIFA Soccer 08 fans one free hour over the eagerly anticipated game.

WHERE:*
• Launch Party: Select iGames member centers across the United States and Canada.
• Showcase: Select additional iGames member centers.

(*) Note: This is a multiplatform launch, with centers hosting separate events for the PC, Xbox 360 and the Wii. For more details on which platform is being supported in your area, visit: www.igames.org.

ABOUT THE GAME:
EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer 08 will create a football experience that matches the complexity, finesse and beauty of the real-world game. FIFA Soccer 08 features a new, organic building-block system that enables you to combine tricks and skill moves together to recreate signature moves from the real-world superstars or define your own style of play. You can even capture video of your best moves and goals in-game and upload to the FIFA Soccer 08 website to show off your style and celebrate your glory with friends across the globe. In addition, FIFA Soccer 08 features a true next-generation ball-striking engine that re-creates the drama and unpredictable nature of shooting, and the inclusion of 576 licensed teams, 30 leagues, and more than 15,000 players.

FIFA Soccer 08, developed by EA Canada in Vancouver, B.C., will be available in the US October 9, for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Wii™, Nintendo DS™, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, PC and mobile. FIFA Soccer 08 is rated “E” (Everyone) by the ESRB. For more information, visit: http://www.FIFA08.ea.com/us/.

What exactly is a next generation game?

The term next-generation is used a lot in the video games industry but what does it actually mean? How are developers taking advantage of new gaming hardware and what are the challenges and next steps for the industry?
With each new iteration of games console hardware comes the promise of revolutionary game experiences.

When the Xbox 360 launched in November 2005, the then boss Peter Moore said: "Xbox 360 will deliver mind-blowing experiences."

Ahead of the launch of the PlayStation 3 (PS3) Sony gushed: "Gamers will literally be able to dive into the realistic world seen in large screen movies and experience the excitement in real-time."

More from the BBC

Halo 3 sales top £84m in 24 hours

Video game Halo 3 earned more than £84m ($170m) in sales in its first 24 hours on release, according to Microsoft.
The game sets the record for the most money earned in a day by an entertainment product, topping figures set by film Spiderman 3.

Thousands of shops opened at midnight on Monday in the United States as gamers queued for the Xbox 360 title.

But reports of scratched discs have marred the launch, with Microsoft offering to replace them for free.

More from BBC

NCsoft Europe is planning to expand

NCsoft Europe is planning to expand with the creation of over 100 new jobs at its HQ in Brighton.

The company has received a grant from the South East England Development Agency and plans to double headcount and move to a new location by 2010.

"Brighton is a lively and growing hub for the creative and software sector," commented Geoff Heath, CEO of NCsoft.


"Our expansion will stimulate local competition and the exchange of best practice in the region. SEEDA’s support of our investment will help grow the business and keep us and Brighton at the forefront of our industry, both nationally and internationally," he said.


NCsoft Europe began operations in 2004 with just three members of staff. It now employs 112 people and plans another 116 positions over the next three years.

Codemasters refuses to edit Jericho for Germany

Codemasters has refused to edit the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Clive Barker's Jericho for release in Germany.

The decision comes after the German ratings board USK declined to give the game a rating in the region.

"Following a review by the USK ratings board, which declined to give an official rating, Codemasters has decided not to change the artistic vision of the renowned author and film-maker Clive Barker though cuts and extensive changes,".

"Codemasters respects Mr Barker's creative ideas, despite the German distribution and marketing consequences for the title.

"Therefore Codemasters will release only the PC version of Clive Barker's Jericho in its original form for adult gamers and Clive Barker fans," confirmed the company.

The game is due for release in Europe on October 26, with a demo of the game due on Xbox Live tomorrow and on PlayStation Network next week.

Source: Games Industry

Retail reports "record breaking" Halo 3 sales

Day one sales already rivaling DVD and CD products

UK retail has reported that copies of Halo 3 are flying off the shelves, with High Street outlet Woolworths praising the "record breaking" sales.

As numerous retailers up and down the company took advantage of the anticipated release by opening at midnight or early this morning, some are suggesting the game may even beat day one sales of the biggest DVD and CD releases.

"Halo 3 has been flying off the shelves this morning," said Gerry Berkley, trading manager for games at Woolworths.

"In the first two hours that our stores were open it sold thousands and thousands of copies, breaking all previous first morning sales records for a computer game.

"If sales continue at this rapid pace, it could end up being the biggest ever first day sales number for an entertainment product, beating any CD, DVD or book that has gone before it," he revealed.

Specialist retailer Gamestation also saw a successful launch, as it opened over 190 stores at midnight throughout the UK, and provided a link-up for customers in two different cities to play against each other.

"Our midnight openings were a great success. Big crowds showed up with customers and staff alike in great spirits," offered Jenny Leach, senior product manager for Gamestation.

"The live link-up between our Birmingham flagship and Edinburgh stores added another exciting new dimension to the launch, providing extra entertainment during the lead up to midnight."

Don McCabe, managing director of Chips, said that some stores were close to selling out already, and he expected to be ordering more before the weekend.

"It's gone very, very well indeed," he said.

"In hindsight I wish we'd ordered more. Quite a few shops are heading for a sell-out by the end of the day and we'll be restocking for the weekend.

"Microsoft and (distributor) Gem have done a very good job, they deserve praise for keeping the supply lines strong and giving us everything we've asked for," he added.

Following a successful launch in the US, Microsoft treated a select audience of UK gamers to a special red carpet screening of Halo 3 last night at London's iMAX cinema.

Source: Games industry

Activision acquires Bizarre Creations

Activision has announced the acquisition of UK-based developer Bizarre Creations.

Under terms of the agreement, Bizarre Creations will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision and the company's management team and employees will continue with the company as their teams start to develop two new AAA titles alongside their current projects.

According to Bizarre, there will be no redundancies.

"Activision continues to grow and drive greater value for our shareholders by broadening our portfolio and entering new gaming categories with strong global appeal," said Robert Kotick, chairman and CEO of Activision.

"Bizarre Creations is the leading independent developer with a proven track record in developing highly successful and influential original properties, especially in the racing field. They are one of the most innovative and creative studios in the industry, and we are very excited to welcome this talented creative team to Activision."

Bizarre Creations is best known for the Project Gotham Racing franchise, which has sold more than 4.5 million units in North America and Europe. The developer is currently finishing The Club for SEGA, and also created the Geometry Wars series on Xbox Live Arcade.

"Our goal at Bizarre Creations has always been to do all we can to nurture our creative and passionate teams, who excel at and enjoy what they do," said Martyn Chudley, managing director of Bizarre Creations.

"Activision's independent studio model will continue giving us creative freedom to build exciting new brands. Their financial support and marketing prowess will also enable us to build upon the commercial success that we currently enjoy, and take the company – and our games – to an even higher level."

Halo inspired mimobots kick Covenant butt to keep your files safe

From Gamez

Mimoco announces Halo mimobot® Series 1 Designer USB Flash Drives

Everyone knew that Master Chief was an expert at protecting the world, but one company is out to prove that he’s equally talented when it comes to protecting your data. Mimoco announced today a brand new crossover in their line of mimobot® Designer USB Flash Drives, the Halo mimobot Series 1, in celebration of the overwhelmingly popular sci-fi shooter’s third and final game. Licensed by Microsoft and Bungie Studios, the Halo mimobot Series 1 will be available in three limited-edition colorways – Master Chief Green (edition of 5,000), Red Spartan and Blue Spartan (3,000 each). Halo mimobot Series 1 is now open for pre-orders at www.mimoco.com and will be released officially at E for All Expo in Los Angeles on October 18th.

The tradition of preloading mimobot Designer USB Flash Drives with exclusive digital content continues with the Halo mimobot Series 1. Each Halo mimobot will contain a wide variety of Halo-related media, from wallpapers, screensavers, and soundBytes™ to unpublished pages from the Marvel Halo comics, sections from the Halo 3 strategy guide, and excerpts from the upcoming Halo novel. Additionally, the in-game talk show “This Spartan Life” has provided Mimoco with an exclusive episode only available on the Halo mimobot Series 1.

Mimobots are the world’s first character-based Designer USB Flash Drives. Previous releases have included Star Wars, Happy Tree Friends, and a variety of artist crossovers, as well as Mimoco’s original Core Series characters. The Halo mimobot Series 1 will be available in 1GB ($49.95), 2GB ($69.95) and 4GB ($109.95) capacities, are high-speed USB 2.0, and are compatible with both PC and Mac platforms. As with normal flash drives, Mimobot Art Toy USB Flash Drives can be used with the Xbox 360 as well, and preloaded images and sounds can be accessed through the Xbox Dashboard. Learn more about Mimoco and mimobot Designer USB Flash Drives at www.mimoco.com.

Ubisoft Announces All-Star Holiday 2007 Lineup

Today Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, announced that its holiday 2007 lineup will feature an exceptional selection of titles. Covering all segments of video games – from hardcore to family titles, as well as games based on some of the most popular films and television series – the rich offering also includes some of this year’s most anticipated new brands along with exciting new entries to some of Ubisoft’s multimillion-unit selling brands:

Assassin's Creed™ – One of the most anticipated video games of the year comes to the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system in November, and to PC in early 2008.

Beowulf™ – The video game, based on Paramount Pictures’ and Shangri-La Entertainment’s “Beowulf,” the upcoming feature film from Academy Award®-winning director Robert Zemeckis, will be released in November on Xbox 360, the PLAYSTATION 3 system and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system.

Blazing Angels® 2 Secret Missions of WWII – Experience World War II on the PLAYSTATION 3 system as an elite pilot in the follow-up to the successful Blazing Angels® Squadrons of WWII coming for holiday.
Brothers In Arms Hell's Highway™, previously expected to be released for holiday 2007 will be released on next-generation platforms and PC in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007-08. Brothers in Arms Road to Hill 30 for Wii will be released in December.

CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION™ Hard Evidence – For the first time, CSI fans will be able to play CSI on Xbox 360 and the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo this holiday.

Haze™ – Legendary development team Free Radical Design teams up with Ubisoft to deliver the mind-altering, technologically superior game Haze, exclusively for the PLAYSTATION 3 system this holiday.

Heroes of Might and Magic® V: Tribes of the East - Enjoy the dramatic evolution and conclusion of the Heroes® V experience this holiday on PC.

NARUTO™: Rise of a Ninja - In a game exclusively developed for Xbox 360 from the ground up and for the first time ever, in October, gamers will experience Naruto starting from the series' beginning.

Rayman Raving Rabbids® 2 - The bunnies are back and crazier than ever in this new game specially developed for Wii and Nintendo DS™ this holiday.

This holiday, Ubisoft will also release games that appeal to all audiences, with its innovative and appealing Games for Everyone lineup:

Chessmaster®: The Art of Learning for DS and Chessmaster®: Grandmaster Edition for PC - In both games, Josh Waitzkin, International Master and eight-time National Chess Champion, coaches players to grasp the basic fundamentals of chess and to master the game through exciting courses and tutorials taken directly from his groundbreaking book, The Art of Learning (Free Press).

Cranium® Kabookii - designed specifically for Wii, Cranium Kabookii is an all-new game where families jam, draw, act and puzzle as they collect points and take center stage in the Kabookii Arena to win. Special Kabookii Decoder Glasses reveal secret answers for added fun!

Imagine™ - The Imagine line allows girls to explore their favourite interests and hobbies - as indicated by extensive lifestyle research on this audience – in an interactive and entertaining way with titles such as Fashion Designer, Happy Cooking and Pet Vet 2 for Nintendo DS and PC.

My Coach - Play and learn with this suite of entertaining training coaches that will teach you languages (My French Coach, My Spanish Coach) or help you to improve your expression (My Word Coach) for DS and Wii.

Petz® - This holiday will see the return of Pippa Funnel®, Catz®, Dogz® and Hamsterz on the DS, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, PC – and for the first time on Wii!

The Sex Pistols Re-Record 'Anarchy In The U.K.' For Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock

Famous for Kick Starting a Musical and Cultural Revolution, Original Members of The Sex Pistols Enter the Studio for the First Time in 30 Years

Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced today that Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Sex Pistols, who famously turned down the award, recently returned to the studio to re-record "Anarchy in the U.K.," which will be included in Guitar Hero™ III: Legends of Rock as a master track. Now, fans can perform their own live version of the punk anthem in the next installment of the #1 best-selling music and rhythm video game franchise.

The Sex Pistols were an obvious choice for Guitar Hero, having established themselves as the definitive punk band of the 1970s. Unable to locate the original multi-tracks for inclusion in the game, Activision invited the band back into the studio to re-record a couple of songs including "Anarchy in the U.K." Original members John Lydon on vocals, guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook re-teamed with producer Chris Thomas, utilizing the original analog sound desk (circa 1969) that was built for George Martin at Air Studios, London, England in order to maintain the classic sound.

Thirty years ago this fall, the song was first included on The Sex Pistols' only studio album, "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols" which will be re-issued on vinyl on October 29, 2007, in its exact original format, including poster and Submission 7". The single 'Anarchy In The UK' will also be re-issued on vinyl on October 1, along with three other classic singles throughout October. Celebrating this milestone, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will be sponsoring the historic Sex Pistols show at The Brixton Academy in London taking place on November 8, 2007.

John Lydon stated that "Re-recording them [the songs]-what a stress you put on us but we rose to the occasion I think...admirably!" Adding that, "a bit of anarchy in a video game is alright by me."

"It was great for Guitar Hero to, in a way, get us back in the studio. I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out but it actually turned out great and I think everyone held their own," said Steve Jones. "I like it [Guitar Hero] because my friends' kids like it. And I like what kids like."

"Guitar Hero fans have been requesting more punk rock in the game since its first iteration," said Tim Riley, Activision worldwide executive of music. "We are honored that The Sex Pistols went into the studio after 30 years, so that we could have a song from the most renowned punk band of all time in the game."

"We are proud to have joined forces with such a legendary and influential band as The Sex Pistols for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock," said Kai Huang, president and co-founder of RedOctane. "We are very excited to partner with them on their 30th Anniversary and expose them to an entirely new generation of fans through the game."

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will include explosive new content and features including a multiplayer action-inspired battle mode, grueling boss battles, a host of exclusive unlockable content and visually stunning rock venues. Expanded online multiplayer game modes will also allow axe-shredders worldwide to compete head-to-head for true legendary rock status. For the first time ever, Guitar Hero fans will also be able to thrash and burn with new wireless guitar controllers available for each platform. The game will feature a star-studded soundtrack including master tracks by such legendary artists as Guns N' Roses, The Rolling Stones, Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam as well as original songs by guitar icons Slash and Tom Morello. The sequel also will offer a vast array of downloadable content including songs from some of the most popular European bands.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, published by RedOctane® and developed by Neversoft, is rated 'T' for Teen by the ESRB and will be available October 28, 2007. For more information about the Guitar Hero franchise, please visit the dedicated community site: www.guitarhero.com.