Games fans pick real football team...

One club in Israel do not have a manager, just 8,000 online supporters. Could the same thing happen in England?

Frank Lampard, look away now: we are moving closer to a world where England fans really do pick the team. There may soon be an answer to the eternal question of whether manager or supporters know best because plans are afoot to purchase an English club and hand control to fans on the internet. They will select the side and make in-game tactical decisions. And if it works, managers could become an endangered species.

All those hours playing computer simulations were not wasted: they were training for the time when you will use your screen to take charge of the real thing. Coaches and players blaming the fans for defeats? Unreliable broadband connections coming in for as much stick as referees? Good-bye, dugout dictators; hello, footballing democracy.

Fans website here

More from Times Online

Sony register new names - games?

At the Patent and Trademark Office Sony (SCE) having registered a selection of what may turn out to be new game names.

Described as "computer games apparatus adapted for use with an external display screen or monitor," Sony have secured the rights to names such as:


Ember

SkyBlue

Carriage Return

Race Day

Strings Attached

Plus

The Broadcast Engine

which covers products related to phones, DVD players and video cameras.

QUAKE Wars Update soon with New features

We couldn't have hoped for better reviews for our first ever retail game - over 30 publications and counting have scored the game at 90% or over, while we've achieved thirteen more awards from those same reviewers which brings ETQW's award and nomination count to over 50! On the retail front ETQW debuted in the US and the UK and immediately snatched the number 1 slot in the PC game charts of both countries. We're delighted, but don't have much time to hoot about it - the entire Splash Damage development team is still completely occupied with ongoing support of ETQW for the PC. It is less than a month since the game's retail release and we're almost ready with the next feature-packed update. Here's an overview:

FULL VOICE COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT
The ETQW 1.2 Update features full voice communications (VoIP) support, allowing rapid and easy coordination with your team-mates. You can select the input and output devices independently of your speakers which allows you to use dedicated headsets and microphones, communicate on three separate channels, mute all VoIP, specific channels, or just specific players (which incidentally also cuts all bandwidth usage), set the volume and test your devices in-game. There's full hardware refresh support for connecting and using USB headsets while the game is running too.

BETTER GAME BALANCING
Aside from playing a lot with all of you on the public servers, we also continually analyze data from statistics, read and research your forum feedback, and continue to conduct extensive internal play-testing. This has resulted in a number of improvements in game balance: Various weapons have undergone subtle changes to make them fairer, including tweaks in damage fall-off (increases and reductions to damage over distance), weapon spread, firing rates, and accuracy. Highlights include the Pistol and Blaster being more accurate, increased firing rates for the Shotgun and Nailgun, and tracers appearing over all distances for the Sniper Rifle and the Railgun.

Experience points have been improved in many areas too, with level four rewards easier to achieve across all categories in the course of a campaign. There are also increases in experience points for certain classes such as the Medic and Technician when reviving and dropping health packs, and fixes to the Statistics and Achievements site. On the vehicles front, we've discovered and solved a number of bugs, but most noticeably the Anansi and Tormentor will take longer to repair.

REFINED FIRETEAMS AND STOPWATCH MODE
Another thing that a lot of you wanted is for Fireteams to stay together across maps instead of being disbanded at the end of a round. This is in the game now, so once you create a Fireteam on a server, it won't disappear unless you tell it to or switch teams, and this maintains your voice communications channel too. StopWatch mode now features a bit of added logic code to better deal with ties. If neither team wins the map outright, the team that progressed further through the objectives gets the win. While this is the only StopWatch improvement in this update, we have a separate push to add lots more features to tournament support overall. More on that in another Blog.

Engine Software to becomed Wii developers

Engine Software, developer based in the Netherlands, today announces that Nintendo of America has approved the company as official Licensed Wii Developer. The Wii Developer license is the seventh consecutive Nintendo license that Engine Software has acquired, after being approved earlier for Nintendo DS, Game Cube, Gameboy Advance, Gameboy Color, Gameboy, and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

Nintendo’s Wii console, released first in November of last year, has had quite an impact on the games industry, and consumer demographic alike, and has been praised for its innovative technology and accessibility. Initial careful 3rd party support policies have been changed more recently due to the console’s apparant success on the market. With the Licensed Developer approval Engine Software hopes to expand its field of work with the Wii platform in the near future.

Ruud van de Moosdyk, VP of Development at Engine Software: “We are very happy to have acquired the Wii Licensed Developer status, as this will open up new creative opportunities for our team, as well as new business opportunities for our company. In the last few months many of our clients have already inquired whether or not we support Wii development, so demand for developers is high. “

Engine Software has no development projects currently scheduled for the Nintendo Wii platform, but will be investigating the possibilities for Wii Retail, and Wii Ware projects, while recreating its key technology on the new platform, including the licensable Music & Sound Replayer already available for Gameboy Advance and Nintendo DS.

About Engine Software
Engine Software B.V., based in Doetinchem, The Netherlands, is a highly experienced game development studio. Founded in 1995, the company pride themsleves on being the longest running game developer in the Netherlands. Engine Software has been developing games for over twelve years, and is dedicated to creating high quality games, now spanning over sixty commercially published titles. In the last few years the company has specialised in developing games for handheld systems such as GameBoy Advance, digiBlast, Nintendo DS, and Playstation Portable (PSP).

BBC Top Gear Gran Turismo download

Top Gear to provide content for download via GT TV

Sony and Polyphony the creators of the best-selling racing franchise, Gran Turismo, today announced a collaboration with BBC Worldwide that will allow BBC’s Top Gear programme to be downloaded through Gran Turismo TV (GT TV) on PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3).

GT TV, a dedicated online channel packed with the latest news and content from the motoring world, will launch worldwide on PLAYSTATION Network in 2008. BBC Worldwide will provide 40 episodes of Top Gear, the award-winning BBC television series about motoring for download.

In addition, the Top Gear Test Track – the track featured each week on the show, where host Jeremy Clarkson and the Top Gear team test the latest cars – will be replicated in Gran Turismo 5 (GT5) on PS3. For the first time in a racing game, players will be able to burn rubber and experience every white knuckle, hairpin turn on the Top Gear Test Track for themselves.

“We at Polyphony are great fans of the world’s best motoring programme, Top Gear, so we’re delighted to be collaborating with BBC Worldwide to deliver Top Gear content via Gran Turismo,” said Kazunori Yamauchi, President, Polyphony Digital, “We’re sure that players will be as thrilled as we are when they get the chance to put their own driving skills to the test on the Top Gear Test Track in GT5, as well as enjoying classic episodes of Top Gear via GT TV.”

Simon Danker, Director, Digital Media, BBC Worldwide commented, “BBC Top Gear is the world’s number one motoring media brand and we’re thrilled to make it accessible to Gran Turismo gamers. We continue to explore different avenues to share our content with an expanding audience, and are delighted to participate with Polyphony Digital in the launch of this exciting new opportunity.”

DHAN DHANA DHAN GOAL!

Indiagames Ltd, India's benchmark mobile and online games company and Bindass – UTV’s Youth channel have teamed up with UTV Motion Pictures to announce the launch of the ‘Dhan Dhana Dhan GOAL FIFA CHALLENGE’ – a national level FIFA gaming championship where deserving contestants will win a chance to watch the movie with the film’s star cast – John Abraham, Bipasha Basu and Arshad Warsi and also win a host of other cool prizes.

The GOAL FIFA CHALLENGE will be organized by Indiagames at affiliated cyber café’s across 5 Indian cities i.e. Delhi, Kolkatta, Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai between 25th October and 19th November 2007 as part of the Games on Demand (GoD) League. Four winners from each zone will compete at the national finals to win a chance to watch the movie with the star cast in addition to loads of other prizes including goodies from Microsoft.

The contestants will play FIFA 08 on the XBOX 360 console platform in a one on one elimination mode and each city winner will travel to play the National Finals in Mumbai on the 23rd of November at the “GOAL” premier show.

Speaking on the launch of the GOAL FIFA CHALLENGE, Vishal Gondal – GoD in Chief, Indiagames said, “The Indian youth are extremely passionate about films while both soccer and gaming have been rapidly been gaining in popularity amongst them. The Goal FIFA Challenge is a unique first of its kind promotion that will involve the entire gaming community with the launch of a film”.

Siddharth Roy Kapur, EVP – Marketing, Distribution & Syndication, UTV Motion Pictures said, “GOAL is a path-breaking sports action drama themed around Football. This theme offers us the unique opportunity to create exciting promotional vehicles to market the film and our association with Indiagames is another innovative way to reach out to our target audience, namely the youth.”

Mohit Anand – Country Manager, Microsoft Entertainment & Devices Division added, "Football and gaming are two very popular forms of entertainment and it's heartening to see gaming challenges like these bring together the entire gaming community in India. Microsoft Xbox 360's endeavour is to promote gaming and create awareness about this genre of entertainment across audiences. We are happy to associate with Indiagames and UTV Motion Pictures in this regard."

In addition to the GOAL FIFA CHALLENGE, Indiagames will also be launching the GOAL mobile game, which will be available for download with all leading Indian mobile operators. The game will also be available for download on the Indiagames mobile gaming portal http://mobile.indiagames.com

GOAL will be in theatres worldwide on November 23rd and the film has already kicked off its marketing blitzkrieg with tie-ups with Indian Idol and Manchester United Football Club.

Arcade-In-A-Box New Xbox 360 Arcade Controllers

Xbox gamers can now experience the authentic excitement of real arcade controls, including the choice of convex or concave buttons and optional Sanwa JLF joystick.

Arcade-In-A-Box (www.arcadeinabox.com), announces the immediate availability of single and dual-player authentic arcade controllers for the Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 control panels feature authentic arcade controls that are identical to those used on your favorite arcade machines including Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Galaga. In addition to being compatible with the Xbox 360, the arcade controllers can also be used with a Windows PC.

"Xbox 360 gamers have a wide variety of classic arcade games to play, but until now there hasn’t been a high-quality, stick with the authentic controls that hard core gamers demand" Says Ed Farias, Owner of Arcade-In-A-Box. "Our goal was to design and deliver a product for the gamer who wanted the most elite, most authentic, and most thrilling Xbox 360 arcade experience possible."

The Xbox 360 arcade controller joins other items that are at the top of home arcade gamer’s holiday wish lists, including the Arcade-In-A-Box home arcade console, Jamma-In-A-Box featuring authentic arcade PC Boards and the extremely popular home arcade cabinet kit. More information on those products can be found at: http://www.arcadeinabox.com

Xbox 360 Arcade Controller Specifications:


- 15" L x 10" D x 4.5" H
- Authentic Arcade Buttons and Joysticks

- Optional Custom Overlay

- You choose the colors for T-molding, buttons and joystick D-Pad, A, B, X, Y, RB, LB, Start, Back, and Guide buttons are included

- Optional Headset Jack

- Wired USB controller means it's also compatible with Windows XP and Vista

- Constructed with 3/4 black melamine coated wood to give that authentic arcade weight and feel

- Optional joystick upgrade to the Mag-Stik Plus or Sanwa JLF

- Your choice of button types, either Concave or Convex

Pricing: Single-Player $149, Dual-Player $299

Runaway's Coming to the Nintendo DS

The smash hit animated adventure heading to Nintendo's handheld in 2008

Nintendo DS owners will need to get ready for an unbelievably exciting trip, as today Focus Home Interactive and Pendulo Studios are pleased to announce Runaway, The Dream of the Turtle DS. With Runaway for DS, players will be invited to travel all around the world, where they'll solve some of the most unique (and hilarious) puzzles and greatest mysteries seen in adventure games. Taking full advantage of the DS' stylus controls, coupled with a new graphical codec that will bring the animated world of Runaway to life, the game promises to keep players immersed in the game world as they encounter outstanding characters and environments.

View the "making of" video:
http://www.runaway-thegame.com/video_ds/RDS.php

THE GREAT ADVENTURE DEBUTS ON DS!

A truly phenomenal adventure game with more than one million of players on PC, Runaway has now debuted in full force on the Nintendo DS™ with this groundbreaking new version.

The game begins as Brian and Gina are enjoying a well-deserved vacation under the Hawaiian sun. The couple decides to visit Tiki Falls. Unfortunately, their plane crashes in the jungle, and our two miraculously uninjured heroes are separated during the crash. This sets off a wacky adventure that leads Brian and Gina to the four corners of the globe where they meet military men, pirates, spies, surfers and possibly even aliens!

Perfectly tuned to take advantage of the touch-screen features of the DS, Runaway, The Dream of the Turtle DS introduces a wonderful animated graphical adventure with a hilarious storyline, full of unique humor and plot twists

This DS version features more than an hour of amazing animated sequences to underpin the plot, its surprise developments and multiple comedic moments.

With Runaway, The Dream of the Turtle DS, you'll feel like you're living an incredible adventure at the heart of a hilariously fun animated film. The player moves and interacts in truly vibrant, rich and detailed environments, from tropical jungles to arctic wastelands

Follow Brian and Gina and meet dozens of eccentric characters while completing wacky puzzles and exploring more than one hundred places at the four corners of the globe with a flick of the stylus! A unique and exciting adventure is at your fingertips!

MAIN FEATURES

The fabulous adventures of Brian Basco and Gina Timmins for the first time on console
Discover 6 great chapters of an unforgettable adventure full of surprises and meet more than 30 eccentric 3D characters!
Up to 100 locations from all four corners of the globe, all rendered in lush graphical detail.
A unique graphical experience due to a perfect combination of animations in 3D and the traditional 2D design of adventure games.
As never seen before on DS, the game offers one hour of amazing animated sequences that will underpin the plot. This true technological exploit has been made feasible thanks to the use of the advanced VX2 codec.
Enjoy the great experience of Point 'n Click gameplay on DS thanks to the mouse / stylus substitution.
An intuitive zoom system offers an excellent visibility when exploring the adventure environments.
Thanks to the DS double-screen, a highly-optimized navigation system gives you the possibility to switch from the inventory to the game screen at any time.
Integrated help system making it easier to solve the most difficult puzzles.

Independent Game Showcase to Feature The Latest in Independent Games at GameCity

IndieCade announced today that it is joining forces with GameCity England to highlight some of the best and brightest works of the international independent game developer community at the festival in Nottingham England on October 24th thru the 28th. The event marks IndieCade’s inaugural European event and follows the well received IndieCade showcase at the E3 Business and Media Summit in Los Angeles this past July.

The festival is a street level event celebrating innovation in video games and interactive entertainment. IndieCade will showcase 19 games, developed by individuals, small studios, and students, which exemplify the leading edge of the international independent game development with an eye highlighting work from the United Kingdom. “The game industry has been described as the leading entertainment medium of the 21st century,” said Stephanie Barish, founder and managing director of IndieCade, “the Indie games represent the bustling creative fringes of that medium.”

GameCity organizers invited IndieCade to show at this open to the public street festival more of what IndieCade unveiled to industry insiders at the exclusive E3 Business and Media Summit this past July. GameCity follows on the heels of an IndieCade Games Showcase and panel in Tokyo last month and at E for All in Los Angeles earlier this month.

Independent gamemakers Mare Sheppard and Raigan Burns of Metanet Software whose game N is part of the showcase put it succinctly, “To us, ‘independent’ signifies an ideology, a belief in the value of a viable alternative to the mainstream.”

Curators for the showcase included Barish, Celia Pearce, Indiecade Festival Chair and Sam Roberts, the director of the Slamdance Guerilla Game Competition. “Independent game developers comprise a diverse and international community,” said Roberts, “It is particularly gratifying that this is IndieCade’s first showcase outside the U.S. and we look forward to supporting the independent game community wherever it may be.”

What: IndieCade Showcase @ GameCity

Where: Broadway

When: Thursday, Oct 24 – Sunday, Oct 28

Attendees: Open to the public

About IndieCade

IndieCade supports independent game development and sponsors a series of international showcases and festivals for the future of independent games. It encourages, publicizes, and cultivates innovation and artistry in interactive media, helping to create a public perception of games as rich, diverse, artistic, and culturally significant. IndieCade’s events and related production and publication programs are designed to bring visibility to and facilitate the production of new works within the emerging independent game movement. Like the independent videogame developer community itself, IndieCade’s focus is global and includes producers in Asia, Europe, Australia, and anywhere else independent games are made and played. IndieCade was formed by Creative Media Collaborative, an alliance of industry producers and leaders founded in 2005. For more information please visit http://indiecade.com/.

Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock 'Legendary Status'

Delivering the most authentic rock experience to date, Activision, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will feature some of the world's most influential musical instrument and equipment manufacturers including Gibson, Guitar Center Audio-Technica, Crate, Ernie Ball, Krank, Line 6, Mackie and Zildjian. Alternative Press, Decibel, Guitar Player, Kerrang and Paste magazines also make appearances giving Guitar Hero® legends the chance to see their names in the headlines.

In addition to partnering with some of the most prominent names in music, Activision has forged key strategic alliances with companies such as Pontiac and Axe whose product appears in the game.

"By forging exclusive relationships with key companies in the music and consumer packaged goods industries we are able to bring an even greater depth of realism to Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock," said Dave Anderson, sr. director of business development for Activision. "From venues like Pontiac Garage, to customized guitars from Axe, the game delivers the ultimate rock and roll experience."

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 Aerosmith, 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. While continuing to retain all the key features from their prior legendary performances, fresh downloadable content will be offered on multiple platforms, and players can now shred to a killer set list from many of the most popular rock songs ever recorded.

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, including exclusive Gibson Guitar's Les Paul model for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo, and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system. PlayStation®2 gamers will also get to shred on a new exclusive wireless guitar controller shape, Gibson's Kramer guitar, popularized by hard rockers and known for its body design, pickups, electronics and construction for furious finger fretting.
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, published by RedOctane® and developed by Neversoft, is rated Teen by the ESRB and will be available October 28th, 2007 on the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii™ video game system from Nintendo, and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system. For more information about the Guitar Hero franchise, please visit the dedicated community site: www.guitarhero.com.