The Champ Is Back! EA Announces EA Sports Fight Night Round 4

Mike Tyson Featured in First Boxing Videogame in Nearly a Decade

Electronic Arts announced today that EA SPORTS™Fight Night Round 4 is in development at EA Canada in Vancouver under the EA SPORTS brand. EA SPORTS Fight Night is back with the most realistic “in the ring” experience to date, featuring some of the greatest boxers in history fighting in their prime.

“The EA SPORTS Fight Night franchise has always been synonymous with quality and innovation that raised the bar for the sports videogame genre”, said Kevin Wilkinson, Executive Producer, EA SPORTS. “EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 3 was a platform defining game as the industry transitioned to next generation consoles. EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4 will change how boxing games are played and measured in the future.”

Featuring a re-written gameplay engine, EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4 will add a variety of fighting styles and boxer differentiation to authentically emulate the greatest fighters of all time. Pressure your opponent with the brawling inside style of young Mike Tyson, bobbing and weaving to set up powerful hooks and uppercuts. Capitalize on Muhammad Ali’s reach, hand speed and fleetness of foot to bewilder your opponent with lightning fast jabs and straights from the outside. For the first time in history, EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4 gives you the opportunity to pit these legendary heavyweights against one another and name a true champ.

No fight will be the same with an all-new physics-based animation system that recreates the full spectrum of true-to-life punch impacts, giving boxers a devastating arsenal of punches, blocks and ring movement. The new physics system allows for missed punches, glancing punches, knockout blows and for the first time ever, rough and tumble inside fighting. Fatigue, adrenaline, footwork and timing all come into play as you hammer away at your opponents.

EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4 will be available for the Xbox 360 system and the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and ships to retailers in 2009. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI.

EA SPORTS is the leading interactive sports software brand in the world, with top-selling titles and franchises including Madden NFL Football, FIFA Soccer, NHL hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR and NASCAR racing.

GTA IV hits $500m in first week

Take-Two has announced that its blockbuster title GTA IV hit the USD 500 million sales mark in its first week, breaking all previous entertainment launch records.

Rockstar's controversial game sold over six million units worldwide, of which 926,000 units were sold in the UK alone. On its first day GTA IV sold over three million units globally and earned approximately USD 310 million.

"We knew Grand Theft Auto IV would break new ground in terms of the player's experience, with its compelling story line, extraordinary gameplay and action that ranges over a broad urban canvas. Now, it has broken sales and rating records as well," said Strauss Zelnick, chairman of Take-Two.

"Grand Theft Auto IV's first week performance represents the largest launch in the history of interactive entertainment, and we believe these retail sales levels surpass any movie or music launch to date. We congratulate the entire Rockstar team on creating a must-have experience that takes the legendary Grand Theft Auto franchise to a new level," Zelnick added.

EA UNVEILS NEW 'EA SPORTS FREESTYLE' SUB-BRAND

EA SPORTS Freestyle to represent the lighter side of sports: No rules, just fun.

Electronic Arts today launched EA SPORTS Freestyle, a new sub-brand aimed at a growing, more casual sports gaming audience. EA SPORTS Freestyle games, while based in sports, will be playful, inclusive, casual, and easy to pick up and play for kids and parents, women and men, and casual and hardcore sports fans of all ages.

“The launch of EA SPORTS Freestyle is an exciting milestone in the evolution of the EA SPORTS brand,” said Peter Moore, president, EA SPORTS. “EA SPORTS Freestyle will be a perfect complement to our core portfolio of games that our loyal fans are deeply passionate about, and will provide compelling opportunities for new audiences looking for a lighter gaming experience and an easier entry point into EA SPORTS.”

EA SPORTS Freestyle will be the home for innovative new intellectual properties from the EA SPORTS label, including three new games in development and slated for release in the next 12 months. The first title to launch under the new sub-brand will be FaceBreaker, an arcade-style boxing title set for release in September 2008 and the first new console IP from EA SPORTS since 2002.

EA SPORTS is the leading interactive sports software brand in the world, with top-selling titles and franchises including Madden NFL Football, FIFA, NHL hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR and NASCAR racing.

Project Gotham Racing 4 'Game With Fame' On Xbox 360

One of the top acts of 2008 to take on all comers via Xbox LIVE

Microsoft revealed that Pendulum, one of the hottest acts of 2008, will be tearing up the track with gamers from across the UK in a unique Game with Fame event on Project Gotham Racing 4. Tipped for huge things this year, the band is rocking Radio 1’s One Big Weekend this coming weekend plus a number of summer festivals.

The Game with Fame is celebrating ‘Xbox LIVE Presents: Pendulum’, an intimate gig to mark the launch of In Silico, Pendulum’s highly anticipated new album. Xbox LIVE subscribers can also log on and download the video to Pendulum’s current Top 10 single “Propane Nightmares” at no additional charge, until 00.01 on Sunday 18th May.

The band will be getting behind the wheel and logging on to Xbox LIVE on Monday 12th May at 15.00 to play with selected gamers from across the UK, smoking all comers in Microsoft Game Studios award winning racer. To be in with a chance to join Pendulum online for this unique event, gamers simply need to email their details to the event organisers, telling Pendulum why they want to play with them. The lucky gamers who are successful in applying will then be emailed all the details they need to take part in the event.

How to take part

Simply email the following information to pendulum@gamewithfame.net
• Name
• Age
• Gamertag

Terms and conditions apply. For more information on this please log on to http://www.xbox.com/en-GB

Fallout 3 To Feature Original Soundtrack By Award-Winning Composer Inon Zur

Bethesda Softworks, a ZeniMax Media company, announced today that Inon Zur has created the original musical score for Bethesda Softworks’ highly anticipated post-apocalyptic video game, Fallout 3. Zur, an award-winning composer, has created numerous scores for films, television, and new media.

“We’ve wanted to work with Inon for a long time,” said Todd Howard executive producer of Fallout 3. “He brings so much to the table, in terms of his talent, background, and the music that’s influenced him. He’s created a score that has epic sweep; from the lonely ambience of the wasteland to dramatic fights for survival.”

Fallout 3 features one of the most realized game worlds ever created. Create any kind of character you want and explore the open wastes of post-apocalyptic Washington, D.C. Every minute is a fight for survival as you encounter Super Mutants, Ghouls, Raiders, and other dangers of the Wasteland.

“Fallout 3 is one of the most engaging and demanding projects I've scored,” said Inon Zur. “It was very rewarding to put all my creative energy into supporting Bethesda's vision for the game. I’m very proud of the outcome, and look forward to sharing the music with the players."

In addition to scoring a number of best-selling video games, Zur’s music has been featured in many high-profile projects including Hollywood film trailers, network television productions, CGI movies, and symphony concerts. Most recently, Zur has composed music for CBS’ ‘Ghost Whisperer: The Other Side’ TV webisode series as well as the Marvel Kids webisodes for ‘IRON MAN’.

Currently under development at Bethesda Game Studios – creators of award-winning The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, the 2006 Game of the Year – Fallout 3 is slated for release this Fall on Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, and Games for Windows.

Fallout 3 has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

CHARTTRACK UK video games Chart

All formats

(Full price) Week ending 3 May 2008

1 GRAND THEFT AUTO IV TAKE 2
2 WII FIT NINTENDO
3 MARIO & SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES SEGA
4 MARIO KART WII NINTENDO 2
5 PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2008 KONAMI
6 CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE ACTIVISION
7 TOM CLANCY'S RAINBOW SIX: VEGAS 2 UBISOFT
8 IRON MAN: THE OFFICIAL VIDEOGAME SEGA
9 GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK ACTIVISION
10 FIFA 08 ELECTRONIC ARTS
11 COOKING MAMA 2 505 GAMES
12 UEFA EURO 2008 AUSTRIA-SWITZERLAND ELECTRONIC ARTS
13 SEGA SUPERSTARS TENNIS SEGA
14 HALO 3 MICROSOFT
15 ASSASSIN'S CREED UBISOFT
16 NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. NINTENDO
17 MARIO KART DS NINTENDO
18 FOOTBALL MANAGER 2008 SEGA
19 LEGO STAR WARS: THE COMPLETE SAGA LUCASARTS
20 NEED FOR SPEED: PROSTREET ELECTRONIC ARTS

Related articles by Zemanta

• Star Wars Force Unleashed leads video game requests in September
• Nintendo Wii chat announced along with new games Punch-Out!! - Sin & Punishment 2 - Fire Emblem - Shadow Dragon - Mario & Luigi RPG 3 - Wii Music
• Google Wants Lively To Be a True Gaming Platform
• New Nintendo DSi includes camera, Wii Sync, memory, music player, thinner, plus bigger screen than DS
• Nintendo re-work Pikmin, Metroid Prime and Mario Tennis Gamecube games for the Nintendo Wii
• EA tell Spore video game players - We're sorry for DRM

EA Announces NASCAR 09's All-New Paint Booth Customization Feature

Paint Booth Takes In-Game Personalization to New Level

NASCAR 09 puts more of you in the game than ever before! Utilizing the all-new Paint Booth feature, NASCAR fans can now take in-game personalization to the next level by giving users the ability to completely customize their car from start to finish. In addition, for the first time in franchise history, a car customization template is available online which creates endless possibilities for personalization. Players will be able to see their friends custom designed car skins when racing against them online.

The online connectivity of Paint Booth allows players to download a car template from easports.com and import it into editing programs, such as Photoshop, giving users a multitude of design options. They can then upload those images into the game and show off their dream machine on the track.

NASCAR 09 will be available on PLAYSTATION 3 and Xbox 360 and ships on June 10. The game features highly adaptable gameplay that fits players of all levels and gives the gamers access to the emotion of NASCAR more than ever. Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Jeff Gordon serves as your guide as you try to build your reputation and race your way to the top in NASCAR 09.

Limbo of the Lost To Be Published By Tri Synergy!

Tri Synergy, and Majestic Studios are proud to announce that they will be bringing gamers Limbo of the Lost, an epic puzzle adventure to save humanity from certain destruction!

In addition to a ton of new information and screenshots, Tri Synergy and Majestic Studios are also proud to release a pack of wallpapers so Limbo fans can begin to learn about the strange and terrifying world of Limbo right on their desktop!

Do you believe in Fate and Destiny? If not, then maybe you should reconsider as the twin brothers, Fate and Destiny, are battling for supremacy over mankind! Their battleground: a vast stone citadel called The Keep of Lost Souls, created before time and housed within a realm known as LIMBO. It is here gamers must help Captain Benjamin Spooner Briggs as he explores the depths of Limbo in an attempt to save mankind and bring an end to the destructive struggle between Fate and Destiny. Fail and the very essence of mankind will be ripped apart!

Utilizing a full mouse driven interface with state of the art graphics & devious puzzles, this is the adventure you have been waiting for!

Features include:

• Immersive (being there) sound effects
• Full musical score
• Devious Puzzles
• Play and Reveal storyline
• Each Level feels different in play
• Spectator gameplay - You do not control the main character, you ask him to do certain actions, actions that sometimes he will or will not do
• Over 30 NPC characters to talk with
• 6 levels of logical devious puzzles
• Hours of dialogue with 100% lip synched 3D models
• 100% mouse driven, with optional keyboard shortcuts
• Save your game anywhere at anytime
• No dying, action sequences or sliding puzzles
Look for Limbo of the Lost at retailers nationwide Summer 2008.

Get more information on Limbo of the Lost from Tri Synergy’s webpage and don’t forget to check out the new wallpapers!

HAZE – 4 Player Co-op Campaign Demo Now Available Exclusively on the PLAYSTATION Network

Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, today announced the release of a fully playable demo for Haze, the new first-person shooter set in a harsh future where war is never quite what it seems. Available exclusively on the PLAYSTATION Network, this playable demo gives gamers a taste of not only the single-player campaign in Haze, but also allows for up to four-player, drop-in drop-out co-op play online, via LAN or even 2 player split-screen. The demo is now available across Europe, and will go live on the PLAYSTATION Network on 8th May in the U.S. Developed by shooter experts Free Radical, creators of the critically acclaimed TimeSplitters series, Haze is scheduled for release exclusively on the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system on May 23rd 2008 in EMEA territories. Haze is rated “18+” by PEGI.

Haze 4 Player Co-op / Campaign Demo: *Salva Region*
It’s finally time to feed your addiction…the playable demo for Haze has arrived. Take a Nectar-induced romp solo style, or with 3 of your friends in fierce co-op action through the Salva Region, a bright and high-octane environment, where explosions are huge and delightful, and deaths are fleeting and meaningless. It’s the only place on earth where you can blow a stranger’s head off with a jolly smile on your face. The green-orange vegetation teams with primary-coloured, unthreatening wildlife for the marines to trample all over. The sunshine beats down in comforting waves as you merrily murder your fellow man. This world makes you feel confident. Artificially so and like a dream.

Party Crashers on Nintendo Wii

U.S. game publisher Detn8 Games Ltd. and Italian game developer Twelve Interactive have announced a development deal to create Party Crashers, an original title for the Wii home video game system.

Set for release in April, 2009, Party Crashers is composed of 25 party games in one product, including a host of action games along with puzzle games, brain teasers, and a music-based game. Utilizing the crash-dummy characters from Twelve Interactive’s platform game CID – The Dummy, Party Crashers includes individual game titles such as Pie in the Face, Chinese Plates, Dummy Cannonball, Pizza Delivery, Treasure Island, and Dummy Dance. Some of the games will be “unlockable” by performing well in other games.

While a single player can enjoy the game, Party Crashers naturally lends itself to family/friend, multiplayer fun, taking full advantage of the motion features of the Wii Remote. The game is being designed specifically for the Wii.

“Party Crashers will be great for group play by families and friends,” says Giuseppe Crugliano, Managing Director of Twelve Interactive. “We’ll keep the game mechanics simple and easy to pick up without diminishing the challenge and replay value or compromising the feeling of reward for doing well.” Party Crashers will be available at major retailers.

Detn8 Games is located in the sweet-home Chicago suburb of Glenview, IL. Twelve Interactive is located in the picturesque resort town of Crotone, Italy.