Assassin's Creed Stalks Stores

Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced its highly anticipated Assassin's Creed video game is now available in retail stores nationwide in North America.

Easily one of the most anticipated games for the holiday season and the game has arrived on the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft at the MSRP of $59.99 with the Limited Edition priced at $69.99. It is rated "M" for Mature by the ESRB.

"Assassin's Creed is an incredible experience unlike anything else available this holiday season and we're thrilled with the buzz and attention the title has received," shared Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ubisoft. "We anticipate having a strong sell through for Assassin's Creed and it's exciting to push the industry with such a breakthrough title in terms of technology, design and story.

The development team in Montreal set out to redefine the action-adventure category and we now know that they have accomplished their goal."

DualShock 3 now works with PS2

New pad will now work with backwards compatible games

Sony has confirmed to Eurogamer that all PlayStation 2 titles that support rumble and are compatible with the PlayStation 3 will also rumble if you use the new DualShock 3 pad.

During a test last week with the new controller, Eurogamer noted that PS2 rumble seemed to be disabled. Since then, PS3 firmware 2.0 has quietly introduced support.

The news from Sony adds to anecdotal evidence from eager importers who reported success getting rumble out of games like Re and Katamari Damacy.

PlayStation 3 games that already support the pad include MotorStorm, Resistance: Fall of Man and Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction.

The official European and US release date for DualShock 3 is spring 2008.

PS3 Sales Double On 'Breakthrough' Pricing

Sony sold over 100,000 units of PlayStation 3 in the United States last week after a series of price cuts that Sony CEO Howard Stringer characterized as "the breakthrough we've been anticipating."

"We've been holding our breath," Stringer told the Associated Press. "Finally, the turning point has been passed."

We'll certainly see. Selling 100,000 units in a week is great for Sony, since they've only been moving around 40,000 units per week at most. But the one-two punch of the price drop of the 80 GB bundle to $500 and the introduction of the $400 model (the first honest-to-goodness price drop that PlayStation 3 as a platform has actually received since it launched a year ago) were guaranteed to do something like this.

The question now is whether these sales keep up, and how much Xbox 360 and Wii sales increase in November simply off the strength of more aggressive pricing and more popular software. That'll show whether this is the breakthrough Stringer says it is, or whether it's a brief spike on the charts.

Source: Yahoo Finance

Nintendo denies WiiWare game size limit

Company responds to rumours that downloadable titles couldn't exceed 40MB

Nintendo has disputed some of the Wii Software (WiiWare) details announced in an IGN podcast this week, which claimed that WiiWare titles would be capped at 40MB, that developers would set their own prices and be limited to releasing one game per month.

"I can confirm as we originally said at the announcement of the WiiWare service earlier in the year that WiiWare games will come in a range of sizes but we will encourage smaller, more compact games for the service," a Nintendo spokesperson told Eurogamer today.

"I can also confirm we are contemplating that developers will be able to release one game per month during the launch window in order for us to address potential volume issues.

"We have not revealed any details about who sets pricing for WiiWare titles. However it is important to remember that one of the keys aspects of the WiiWare service is to allow everyone access to fresh, new content at a low price."

Nintendo is officially classifying the information as "speculation" despite the statement above.

Wii Software, the official title in Europe, but more commonly known as WiiWare - its official name in America and Japan - is a system a bit like Xbox Live Arcade or PlayStation Network that allows developers to create smaller games and sell them to consumers for lower prices than boxed copies.

Nintendo hopes the service will encourage independent teams and those who lack the wherewithal to produce big games to get involved with Wii development as the console's installed base grows and its free online service, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, continues to attract users.

Mad Catz acquires Saitek for $30m

Mad Catz has announced the acquisition of fellow videogames peripheral manufacturer Saitek, alongside results for its second financial quarter of 2007.

The deal cost Mad Catz USD 30 million, USD 15.5 million of which was in cash and borrowings, and the rest in convertible notes at a rate of 7.5 per cent.

The company's fiscal results were solid, and although net sales dropped sharply year on year, a significant drop in administrative and general costs led to a net income jump of 340 per cent to USD 872,000.

Saitek is best known for its premium quality PC flight simulator peripherals, and that deal follows its acquisition of Joytech from Take-Two in July this year.

Speaking on the deal, Mad Catz president and CEO Darren Richardson stated his belief that it would strengthen the company's overall offering.

"Saitek significantly enhances Mad Catz' position as one of the world's leading games peripherals companies and provides us an entree into the businesses of PC mice, keyboards and speakers and electronic chess and intelligent games.

"Its outstanding vendor operations personnel in China and administrative personnel throughout the company will not only help us grow Saitek's PC businesses, but will also support Mad Catz' continuing growth initiatives on a global basis."

Mad Catz' share price fell 10 per cent today following the announcement and results, to stand at the time of writing at USD 1.07.

Source: Games Industry

Frankenreview, Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)

The time has come. No more bullshit, no more trailers, no more promises. Next-gen is officially now-gen, as all the long-lusted, near-fabled releases are finally upon us. Since the Wii's launch, we've been treated to a few classic Nintendo franchises. But things just didn't feel right before the pudgy-but-steadfast plumber showed up and started kicking some ass...like he did in today's Frankenreview. So hit the jump to see why the critics loved Super Mario Galaxy so much, and what makes it so much more than another 3D platformer.

GameSpy

Super Mario Galaxy's graphics are out of this world. We've not seen such a beautifully vibrant game on the Wii. The strong use of bold colors married with the better-than-expected texturing makes for a great-looking game. It runs, as expected, very well at 480p in a 16:9 apsect ratio, and while a small part of us aches for a 720/1080p version of the game, we'll take what we can get. There's nothing else on the system that looks this good...

NintendoWorldReport

...the pseudo-linearity, aided by the automatic camera, makes it possible for the game to go back to its 2-D platforming roots rather than the wide-open, but less interesting seek-and-find nature of prior games. Occasionally, a handful of Star Shards must be collected to progress, but there is nothing approaching the tediousness of the blue coin collecting in Super Mario Sunshine. Players will absolutely want to collect all of the Power Stars.

GameSpot

It helps that practically every stage in the game has a great deal of replayability purely on its own merits. These levels are just inherently fun to go back to again and again...comets will enter orbit in some of these galaxies, and thus change the way you play in some bizarre way. Whether it's speeding up all the enemies in an area, putting you on a timed run, or having you race against a doppelganger Mario, there's a nice variety of change-ups to experience.

CVG

Galaxy also plays around with gravity and physics like no Mario game before it. You'll flip gravity to navigate giant block mazes, use a planet's gravity to propel yourself to a new platform and shoot into the stars...no matter where you run or jump gravity will twist and pull you towards the planet, allowing you to run all the way around it and even jump to other planets by hopping into their gravitational pull... It's not as revolutionary as Mario 64, but it certainly re-defines what we expect from a 3D platformer.

Eurogamer

It's simply an explosion of inventiveness - a total rejection of the cookie-cutter. There's almost no way of knowing when you go into a level what it's going to look like, what you'll need to do, or how long it will take. One star will be a cheeky diversion, the next a five-stage epic of delight and adventure.

Hmm... what can you say to all these near perfect reviews? Something cheesy. Like, Houston, your Mario Galaxy has landed on the Wii. No, actually that's horrible. But we'll leave it up as an example of what never to say when talking about the game.

Nintendo warns of Wii shortages

A chronic shortage of Nintendo's popular Wii console could mean disappointment for those putting it at the top of their Christmas list. The BBC has learned that high street retailers are struggling to keep up with demand for the console, which has been in short supply for months.

Websites such as Wii-consoles.co.uk have been set up to help shoppers find out when stock becomes available.

Nintendo said it was "doing everything possible" to keep up with demand.

Its push to fill the shelves in time for Christmas will see it ship an extra 3.5 million consoles globally. It is not known how many extra consoles will make it to UK shelves.

In April Nintendo estimated a yearly shipment of 14m units, but that has now been raised to 17.5m.

Despite this, the gaming giant admitted that not everyone who wants one is guaranteed a Wii this Christmas.

"The demand for Wii hardware globally has been unprecedented and higher than Nintendo could ever have anticipated," said a spokeswoman.

"Nintendo is now in a position in which seasonality demand trends are being broken, therefore the demand for Wii hardware is constant throughout the whole year globally. Due to this phenomenon it is possible that the demand for Wii hardware may outstrip supply," she said.

Slow trickle

From the high street, the message is very similar.

"Although we're receiving regular deliveries from Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft and getting the products onto the shelves as fast as we can - it's possible that demand will outstrip supplies on some products, for example the Nintendo Wii, which has been hugely popular all through the year," read a statement from high street gaming specialist Game.

"We're posting daily updates on our website at www.game.co.uk/stock to give customers the latest news on availability, and will continue to do everything possible to help our customers find the consoles they want."

Woolworths said that it was receiving a "slow trickle of stock every week" and also advised customers to keep an eye on their website.

"The Nintendo Wii consoles have proved extremely popular with our customers and have been flying off the shelves whenever we get new stock in," said a spokeswoman.

Source: BBC

See this post - I just bought one from Amazon Germany Wii are well pleased

NEW PAINT BY DS ARTWORK AND VIDEO RELEASE

See the professional's artwork before you try it yourself in Paint by DS

Mercury Games today released new artwork from the Paint by DS game and a new video showing the game in action.

Paint by DS is a digital colouring book which enables the player to recreate masterpieces by renowned artists such as Hokusai, Cezanne and Van Gogh, in their own artistic style. The player uses the DS stylus to mix oil and water-based paints to create colours and consistencies and then paint the artwork.

The game is published by Mercury Games and distributed by Atari in the UK. The game will be released in December 2007, priced at £19.99/€24.99.

THE SIMS 2 TEEN STYLE STUFF INTRODUCES MUST-HAVE STUFF FOR YOUR TEEN SIMS

EA Launches First-Ever Stuff Pack Expressly for Teen Sims Introducing New Fashions, Furniture, Gadgets, and Décor Items

For the first time, Electronic Arts has brought The Sims players a stuff pack with the exclusive intent of giving their teen Sims everything they need to express their unique style! The Sims 2 Teen Style Stuff*, now on store shelves, lets your teen Sims define their own space while showing some attitude with all-new, unique furniture, décor items, fashions and more! Whether your teen Sims identify as “Goth,” “Thrasher” or “Socialite,” there are plenty of new ways for them for them to express their true selves by the way they dress or the way they decorate their rooms inside The Sims 2 Teen Style Stuff!

With The Sims 2 Teen Style Stuff, players can give their teen Sims a new 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! In addition, The Sims 2 Teen Style Stuff is the first stuff pack to feature a The Sims contest winner! A fan with the username Nessabop was the grand prize winner of The Sims 2 Seasons Simlish Karaoke Contest, which pitted fans of The Sims 2 and The Sims On Stage against each other in an online karaoke contest. The challenge was to sing the song ‘Smile’, originally recorded by Capitol Records artist Lily Allen. The top two finalists were chosen by Lily Allen herself. The grand prize winner was given the opportunity to record The Sims 2 song ‘Chocolate’ at EA Headquarters! Nessabop’s version of ‘Chocolate’ is featured in The Sims 2 Teen Style Stuff and is available for download at TheSims2.com!

KEY FEATURES


Dress to Express: Give your teen Sims new outfits that truly express their personalities, from activewear for the skateboarding, surfing “thrasher” to the latest trends for the “socialite” or some more unique wear for the “goth” of the family!

Private Spaces or Party Spaces: All teens want their own room that is a place where they can be happy when they want to get away from it all, or a place where all of their friends can hang out. From elite furniture like a “Fit for Royalty” bed to the more laid-back look of a cool “Fluffy Rocker” to a “Tall and Terrible” armoire for a darker dominion, there’s something here to make everyone feel right at home.

Tech-Savvy Teens: Teens today spend their time playing with technology, and your teen Sims should be no different, so here you can find computers, music players and all types of gadgets and electronics for your Sims to stay as current as you do!

Product Specifications
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Electronic Arts Redwood Shores
Ship Date: Europe: November 9, 2007
Format: PC
Category: Simulation/Strategy
PEGI Rating: 12+

Requires The Sims 2, The Sims 2 Special DVD Edition , The Sims 2 Holiday Edition or The Sims 2 Deluxe for PC to play.

About The Sims
The Sims franchise celebrated its seventh anniversary in February. The game skyrocketed to the top of the charts when it began shipping to stores in February 2000 and quickly became a gaming and cultural phenomenon. The Sims PC based product and expansion packs were the best selling PC games of 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003. Translated into 22 different languages, The Sims has inspired seven top selling expansion packs. please confirm accuracy of this statement. They include: The Sims Livin' Large, The Sims House Party, The Sims Hot Date, The Sims Vacation, The Sims Unleashed, The Sims Superstar and The Sims Makin' Magic. The Sims 2 shipped in September 2004 with sales already topping 13M units worldwide, it was the best selling PC game of 2004. The Sims 2 University shipped in March 2005, The Sims 2 Nightlife shipped in September 2005, The Sims 2 Open for Business shipped in February 2006, The Sims 2 Pets shipped in October 2006 and The Sims 2 Seasons shipped in February 2007. Combined sales for the franchise are approximately 90M units life-to-date. For more information on The Sims 2, visit http://www.thesims2.com and for more information on The Sims franchise titles, visit http://www.thesims.com

Jumper

STORYLINE

Jumpers, people with a genetic anomaly that enables them to teleport themselves instantaneously to anywhere on the globe, have existed for centuries. An age-old battle rages between the Jumpers and the Paladins, a clandestine organization set on eliminating them from the planet. The Jumper game extends the film’s storyline, following Griffin, a battle-hardened Jumper determined to avenge the death of his parents at the hands of the Paladins. Griffin’s quest to find the killer spans exotic locales around the world.

KEY GAME FEATURES

• Jump Ability - Use your teleportation skills to “Jump” within hand-to-hand combat range of an enemy to start dishing out devastating blows.
• Combos - Exciting and intense layered combo fighting system
• Finishing Moves - Instantly teleport enemies to exotic perilous locations to finish them.
• Enemy classes - Deeply ranked hierarchy of Paladin enemy types.
• Exotic Locales - 5 combat arenas set all around the world – Colosseum, Griffin’s Desert Lair, Nepal, Tokyo Streets and Experimental Lab Facility
• Unlockable abilities - Unlockable skills and combos through gameplay.
• Available February 12th – releasing the same week as the theatrical release
• Available for the X360, Wii, and PS2 platforms


GAME RELEASE DATE: February 12th, 2008 (NA)
FILM RELEASE DATE: February 15th, 2008 (NA)
GENRE: 3rd Person Action Fighting Game
PLATFORMS: Xbox 360, Wii, & PS2
DEVELOPER: Brash Entertainment & Red Tribe & Collision
PUBLISHER: Brash Entertainment