Tom Petty now on Rock Band video game with Fleetwood Mac, Billy Idol and jet all returning with new tracks

Plus tracks from Foo Fighters and Grateful Dead for Wii and White Zombie and The Zombies for Rock Band Unplugged!

Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that singles from Fleetwood Mac, Billy Idol, Jet and, making his Rock Band debut, Tom Petty will be available in the Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content next week for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system.

Additional tracks from Foo Fighters, White Zombie and Grateful Dead will be available in the Wii™ Rock Band Music Store, and it’s a zombie-friendly week for Rock Band Unplugged, with tracks from The Zombies and White Zombie.

Rock Band DLC Additions for Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 Systems
American rocker Tom Petty breaks onto Rock Band next week with two of his biggest solo hits, “I Won’t Back Down” and “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” both from his 5x platinum 1989 album, Full Moon Fever. This was Petty’s first solo album, after parting with The Heartbreakers; it reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200. Classic rockers Fleetwood Mac, English rocker Billy Idol and Australian rockers Jet return to Rock Band with tracks available for download in the Rock Band Music Store next week as well. The Jet track available for Rock Band next week, “She’s a Genius,” is from the band’s new album, Shaka Rock, which also hits shelves Aug. 25.

Tracks available on Xbox 360 (Aug. 25) and PLAYSTATION 3 system (Aug. 27):

• Billy Idol – “Mony Mony”
• Billy Idol – “Rebel Yell”
• Fleetwood Mac – “Don’t Stop”
• Fleetwood Mac – “World Turning”
• Jet – “She’s a Genius”
• Tom Petty – “I Won’t Back Down”
• Tom Petty – “Runnin’ Down a Dream”

(All tracks are original master recordings)

These tracks will be available for purchase as individual tracks on Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 systems.

Price: $1.99 USD, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track

Wii Additions
Additionally, Foo Fighters tracks “All My Life” and “Lonely As You,” from the band’s Grammy Award-winning fourth album One by One, as well as “I’ll Stick Around,” from the band’s self-titled 1995 debut album, will be available in the Wii Rock Band Music Store. Also for Wii is Blind Melon's breakthrough 1992 single “No Rain,” as well as “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” by Boston punk favorites Dropkick Murphys, which was featured on the band’s album, The Warrior’s Code, and in the soundtrack to Martin Scorcese’s Academy Award-winning film, The Departed. Songs from British rock groups Blur and Kaiser Chiefs, as well as alternative rock band Eve 6, will also be available Aug. 25, as will back-catalog tracks from Grateful Dead, White Zombie and others. These tracks come from the catalog of Rock Band music already released to owners of Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system. With the addition of these tracks, there are now more than 500 tracks in the Wii Rock Band Music Store.

Additional tracks available for Wii (Aug. 25):

• Blind Melon - “No Rain”
• Blur - “There’s No Other Way”
• Dropkick Murphys - “I’m Shipping Up to Boston”
• Eve 6 - “Inside Out”
• Foo Fighters - “All My Life”
• Foo Fighters - “I’ll Stick Around”
• Foo Fighters - “Lonely as You”
• Kaiser Chiefs - “I Predict a Riot”
• Belly – “Feed the Tree”
• Ghost Hounds – “Wind Me Up”
• Godsmack – “I Stand Alone”
• Grateful Dead – “Cold Rain & Snow”
• Grateful Dead – “Doin’ That Rag”
• Grateful Dead – “Don’t Ease Me In”
• Grateful Dead – “Fire on the Mountain”
• Grateful Dead – “Hell in a Bucket”
• Grateful Dead – “Uncle John’s Band”
• James Gang – “Funk #49”
• Mute Math – “Typical”
• Rob Zombie – “War Zero”
• Turbonegro – “Wasted Again”
• White Zombie – “Black Sunshine”
• White Zombie – “More Human Than Human”

Price: $2.00 USD, (200 Wii Points) per track

Rock Band Unplugged Tracks for PSP®System

Rock Band Unplugged fans will enjoy the addition of The Zombies’ “She’s Not There” and White Zombie’s “Black Sunshine” to the 33 tracks already available via the Rock Band Unplugged in-game music store for the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system.

Tracks available for Rock Band Unplugged (Aug. 27):

• The Zombies – “She’s Not There”
• White Zombie – “Black Sunshine”

Price: $1.99, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU per track on the PSP system

** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change.

Rockstar confirm NO GTA IV Lost and Damned or The Ballad of Gay Tony for PlayStation 3 they remain Xbox 360 exclusive

Despite rumors that a PlayStation 3 playable version of Grand Theft Auto IV - Lost and Damned appeared at GamesCom Rockstar have confirmed the games are Xbox 360 exclusives.

A post did appear on European PlayStation forum (by a moderator) announcing the PlayStation 3 version on Grand Theft Auto IV Lost and Damned had appeared. This post was later removed.



So the games remain Xbox 360 exclusives.

Borderlands video game GamesCom video and exclusive Borderlands screenshot video

Borderlands is a highly anticipated original intellectual property from Gearbox Software, creators of the acclaimed Brothers in Arms franchise.

Featuring extensive co-op integration that seamlessly blends the single player and multi player experiences, Borderlands will allow players to freely join or leave each other’s games at any time for collaborative mayhem or the freedom to choose to play in full single player mode to experience the world on their own.



Borderlands will also include a groundbreaking content generation system that adds nearly infinite variety in the amount of weapons that are available to the player.

These features, along with addictive nonstop action, will combine to form a breakthrough experience that challenges the conventions of modern shooters and RPGs.



Features:
FPS Action Meets RPG Character Progression: Players can choose from one of four distinct characters and earn experience and gain proficiency in a number of specialties as they do battle with enemies. Upgrades can be invested in a wide variety of special abilities, allowing players to create a fully customized character that is tailored to their playing style
Co-op Engineered Game Design: Borderlands is built from the ground-up to be an exciting and intuitive co-operative multiplayer experience that rewards players for investing in specific co-op skills
Radical New Art Style: Fresh and exciting new visual style combines traditional rendering techniques with hand-drawn textures to paint a unique and eye-catching spin on the First Person Shooter genre
Gun Lust: Choose from an arsenal of hundreds of thousands of weapons, each with their unique manufacturers, specifications and advantages. A revolutionary new content generation system produces almost infinite tools of destruction
Intense Vehicular Combat: Get behind the wheel of and engage in intense vehicle-to-vehicle combat, complete with extensive damage modeling and spectacular explosions
Next Big Original IP From Gearbox Software: Experience the action and creativity derived from the pedigree of one of gaming’s most consistent and respected developers.

Title: Borderlands
Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Gearbox Software
Platform: PLAYSTATION 3 slim computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Games for Windows
ESRB Rating: M for Mature
Release Date: October 20, 2009

PlayStation 3 Firmware 3.0 full change list - Firmware 3 will be pre-installed in all PlayStation 3 Slims - Firmware 3.0 is released on 1st September

Here's a full change list for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 3 Slim Firmware 3.0.

It will be released for download on 1st September 2009 for all PlayStation 3 consoles and will come pre-installed in the NEW PlayStation 3 slims...


GENERAL:

* Access the latest PlayStation Store contents directly from the Games and Videos sections of the XMB interface.
* Areas where the screen keyboard is shown will now allow for the ability to copy text.
* When you create folders on your media, the folders can be of the photo, music and video type.

SETTINGS:

* The sound settings area let you select simultaneous audio output, which makes the system output sound simultaneously through HDMI, optical, and AV Multi. However, everything except for the connection specified in the main audio output setting outputs in 2 channels only.
* Video settings adds HDD audio language and HDD subtitle language options. Using these, you view videos using language tracks and subtitles from your hard disk. Some content does not allow for these settings to be used.
* System settings adds the the ability to activate DTCP-IP. This lets you undergo internet based authorisation that’s required for viewing copy protected videos on a media server.

VIDEO:

* When playing back video content, you can use the right stick on your wireless controller for forward and reverse.

NETWORK:

* “Print this page” added to the internet browser menu.
* “Save screenshot” added to the internet browser menu.

FRIENDS:

* Can view message history between friends in the profile screen.


Full PlayStation 3 slim specifications and pricing here on Gamezplay...

FIFA 10 video game Fact Sheet PlayStation 3 slim, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii

On the heels of winning 25 international gaming awards with FIFA 09, the top-selling football franchise from EA SPORTS is surpassed with FIFA 10. Responding to consumer feedback from more than 400 million online games played, FIFA 10 refines an already potent game engine, combined with authentic club and league licenses, to continue to set the benchmark as the most complete simulation of football.



FIFA 10 features core gameplay refinements based on responsiveness and intelligence, plus a completely overhauled Manager Mode that includes more than 50 major improvements. On the pitch, critical gameplay fundamentals have been enhanced to ensure that FIFA 10 mirrors real-world football, providing more sophisticated ball control, and physical interaction. On attack, players now analyze space more effectively, curve their runs to try and stay onside, and drive for more variety in attacking options. On defense, new concepts like position priority enable defenders to multitask so dangerous spaces left open by teammates out of position are covered. Plus, slide tackle targeting, press marking, and better urgency clearance logic make defending a more tactical skill in FIFA 10.

Three new innovations change the player control experience in FIFA 10. The first-ever true 360° dribbling system gives players finer control of the ball, enabling them to find spaces between defenders that previously were not possible. Using an all-new animation technology, skilled dribblers now have the ability to face the defender and use highly responsive lateral dribbling to skip past him. An innovative concept called Freedom in Physical Play enables players to perform wider dribble touches and new collision sharing creates a varied, less predictable, and extended fight for possession between players.

Live out the fantasy of playing as a professional footballer in all-new Virtual Pro. Put yourself in the game using Photo Game Face and then embark on a career with more than 200 accomplishments to master across all games modes. Join an Online Team Play Club & play 10v10 against hundreds of thousands of Virtual Pros from around the world in the Pro Club Championship, with the top clubs battling it out to become Regional & World Champions.

New this year is the Practice Arena where players can perfect their skills before stepping onto the pitch. A brand new gameplay innovation is Customisable Set Pieces, giving users the tools to create and record their very own team moves from dead ball situations (free kicks and corners) for use on match day.

Key Features

Virtual Pro: Live out the fantasy of being a real life footballer by creating yourself in game with a 3D head using Photo Game Face. Play as yourself across any mode. Grow your player attributes through 200 accomplishments and take your Virtual Pro online to become a global superstar.

Pro Club Championship: Create an online club with friends & play 10v10 against hundreds of thousands of Virtual Pros from around the World, with the top clubs battling it out to become Regional & World Champions.

New Practice Arena—Work on individual and team skills in a fully featured practice mode before stepping on the pitch. Select the number of attackers and defenders you want in play (eg 11v11, 5v5, or even 5v3), and practice in open play or from set pieces.
Customisable Set Pieces - Design and record your very own free kicks and corners on the training ground for use on match day to outwit your opponent. You have complete control over your players, with the ability to assign a specific movement to every outfield player on your team one at a time, and then combine them for the perfect set piece. Record them in the Practice Arena, then trigger then in game using the D-Pad.
360° Dribbling—The first-ever true 360° dribbling system in a football game provides finer dribbling control, enabling players to find spaces between defenders that previously were not possible.

Skilled Dribbling—All-new animation warping technology provides unprecedented control. Skilled players now have the ability to face a defender and use highly-responsive lateral dribbling to skip past him.

Freedom in Physical Play—Wider dribble touches and new collision sharing creates a varied, less predictable, and extended fight for possession between the dribbler and a defender.

Player Urgency—Improved urgency AI logic, with over 50 new movement cycles, delivers more responsive positioning so your players stay focused on the ball and move at a speed appropriate to the action.
Improved Trapping Intelligence —Players now have a better awareness of where the most natural trapping position is so they can get the ball on the ground and under control easier and earlier.
Advanced Positioning —Defenders multi-task and play more intelligently by covering dangerous spaces left by out-of-position teammates. In attack, players analyze space more effectively, curve their runs to stay onside, create passing lanes and vary attacking options.

Varied Defending Options —Slide Tackle targeting has been enhanced so skilled players have more reach and avoid tackling through the dribbler. Better effort clearance logic, such as sliding to block crosses and overhead kick clearances, give defenders more tools to prevent goal-scoring opportunities.

Refined Goalkeeper Intelligence — numerous improvements mean that goalkeepers now have more urgency and better perception of where to intercept loose balls, resulting in a more responsive and powerful rushing system. New animation warping technology provides game-realistic goalkeeper positioning and momentum, resulting in more varied scoring opportunities.

Manager Mode Authenticity—More than 50 major improvements were designed to create an authentic experience to mimic the real-world game. Match results are based on team and player strengths and weaknesses. Player transfers are determined by multiple decision points, including club finance and prestige, and competition from AI-controlled clubs. Player development is more realistic with true-to-life growth curves.

Tetris, Bejeweled, Need For Speed and The Sims 3 Now Available For BlackBerry Smartphones

EA Mobile announced eight new titles available on BlackBerry including globally renowned mobile titles: Bejeweled, Need for Speed Undercover, RISK, SCRABBLE (in the US and Canada only), Tetris, Tetris Mania, The Sims 3, and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR.

“We are excited to bring some of EA Mobile’s most popular franchises to the BlackBerry App World where BlackBerry customers can easily download them from one location,” said Adam Sussman, VP Worldwide Publishing for EA Mobile. “We look for the BlackBerry App World to become an important channel for EA Mobile, providing convenient access of our great games to BlackBerry customers everywhere.”

“Gaming on BlackBerry smartphones continues to grow in popularity. EA Mobile has optimized some terrific games for the BlackBerry platform and users will be thrilled to have these new titles available on BlackBerry App World,” said Tyler Lessard, Vice President, Global Alliances and Developer Relations at Research In Motion.

Jekyll & Hyde PC adventure video game

Jekyll & Hyde is based on the world-famous novel and takes players into 19th century London.

bitComposer Games announced today Jekyll & Hyde, a new PC adventure based on the famous novel, ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,’ by Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson. Jekyll & Hyde is currently being developed by Weimar-based Pixelcage, a co-production with bitComposer Games and public media subsidy firm Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung. The release of Jekyll & Hyde is planned for the third quarter of 2010.

Set in London during the 19th century, the game features a young Dr. Jekyll, who seeks a cure for the plague but instead unwittingly creates a potion that awakens his dark alter ego, Mr. Hyde. Alternating between the roles of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, players will search for an antidote to the epidemic while slowly uncovering a conspiracy involving an occult sect. The investigation will lead players deeper and deeper into London’s mysterious underworld.

In addition to classic adventure gameplay, Jekyll & Hyde will also have action- and skill-based elements. Alternating between the two protagonists, players will have to utilize each character’s attributes to solve the thrilling riddles, puzzles, and action-oriented challenges. An adaptive camera adjusts to the players’ situation, changing to allow for easier control during platforming portions. Players will also have access to a mobile chemistry lab to create the transformation potion at any time. The lab will prove to be vital to solving puzzles.

“The current prototype of Jekyll & Hyde already promises an atmospheric and thrilling experience,” said Wolfgang Duhr, executive of bitComposer Games. “The Pixelcage team is extremely committed to a great product, and we are convinced that the engrossing story will captivate fans of all genres, not just fans of traditional adventure titles. We would like to thank the Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung for their support. This collaboration allows us to continue developing products of the highest quality in Germany.”

“We are convinced that with Jekyll & Hyde, we are creating a complex and extraordinary adventure,” said Jens Egerer, executive at Pixelcage. “It is thanks to the support of the Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, and the experience and involvement of bitComposer Games, that we are able to realize such a promising project.”

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat PC video game the plot, the quests...

The events of Call of Pripyat – the second stand-alone project in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe (Clear Sky being the first) is taking place two weeks after the events of the original game: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl. As Gunslinger shut the psy-antennas down, lots of stalkers rushed to the center of the Zone trying to lay their hands on the treasures it conceals. But only few made their way into it safely, as a new faction war broke out. The survivals are mostly neutrals, ”Duty” and ”Freedom” members as well as some bandits.



As the psy-barrier broke down, the military started to develop an operation called ”Fairway” in order to establish full control over the new territories. As a first step of the operation, 5 reconnaissance helicopters were sent to investigate the new areas and find a safer way through the anomalous fields for their full-scale ground operation. Despite all the precautions made, the operation fails with all HINDs being vanished from the radars leaving only approximate coordinates of the crash sites.
The player takes a role of major Degtyarev, an ex-stalker who signed the contract with the military in the past, and now is an undercover agent sent to the center of the Zone to investigate the reasons behind the operation failure.

The Zone.

First of all, there will be no faction wars in Call of Pripyat, the number of NPCs will be greatly reduced, as opposed to Clear Sky, and the developers promise us to create a bigger ”back to the roots, explore-the-surroundings” feeling of the game, more common to the original: Shadow of Chernobyl. Among other game improvements, the game’s locations are one of the most important ones with three new huge locations that include a photorealistic Exclusion Zone – Pripyat (the eastern part of the town), Yanov railway station, Jupiter factory, Kopachi village and others, recreated by their true-to-life prototypes with the use of satellite photographs. There are also two underground locations which are kept secret for now.

The first location, where the game starts, is Zaton (The Backwater) – a huge 1.5×1.5 km area, featuring a dried out river with some shipwrecks, a factory of some sort and lots of anomalies. As the player arrives to Zaton, other stalkers have already accustomed to the area, so we can find the Bar in one of the ship’s carcasses, the bases of the ”Duty” and ”Freedom” factions who share one ship by having a cease-fire agreement (but only within the walls of their base), and the mercenary base somewhere in the industrial area.

The Blowouts (aka Emissions) will now be random and deeply incorporated in the local ecosystem: with every Blowout, new artifacts are born in the anomalies, and some anomalies will change their positions (only random anomalies and not the unique looking, static anomalous fields). Stalkers will seek cover during Blowouts and will fight for it, if members of others factions will attempt to use the same hideout; this works for the player as well: staying on the open field during the Blowout is lethal, but finding a safe spot (they will be marked on your map) can cost you your life as well, if it is already occupied by your rivals. The new types of anomalies will also be introduced in the game.

It is also worth mentioning, that now both stalkers and mutants will have their own day/night cycle, with mutants being more active at night, while stalkers will be going to bed. As for the mutant additions, we will see the good old, finally made functional Chimera and Burer. Chimera will be your most fearsome night encounter, as it moves rapidly, hiding in the dark, always trying to attack you from the rear; however it won’t be such a menace during day time, as it can be easily spotted under the sun light. The Burer uses telekinesis to grab and throw objects at you, which can be a heavy barrel or even your own weapon pulled out of your hands and thrown at you. It was also mentioned in some previews that Burer is able to cast a bulletproof shield with his telekinetic abilities. But the good thing about Bruer is that he is not really an aggressive creature and, for the most part, will only attack if the player bothers him.

The behavior of the older and more familiar mutants been reworked as well. For example, dogs and snorks are now attacking on the move, instead of just stopping in front of you and biting like before; so fighting them is now much harder, especially when they attack in packs. The packs, however, can now be formed with the mutants of each type, and since all the mutants are now divided into carnivores and herbivores, we can expect one hunting the other. The Bloodsucker has been redone as well, so it can now literally grab the player and start sucking the blood out of him. If you think they now have an unfair advantage over you, the developers made it fair by removing the invincibility of the bloodsucker while he is invisible.

The stalkers, as mentioned before, have a ”timetable” of what to do during the day: they leave the base in the morning, alone or as a small group, roaming across the landscape in search of artifacts and finally return to the base in the evening for some rest. The developers are promising to make a fair system of an artifact trade, so if you happen to run across some stalker, you can see the stuff he has already collected and trade with him by offering something more worthy than just vodka or a lump of bread.
Searching for an artifact with the detector is also in the game, and both positive and negative effects of the artifacts are rebalanced.

Quests.

The game features over 70 ”hand-made” quests (no more randomly generated missions), which can be received from not only faction leaders and a barman, but from ordinary stalkers as well. As already mentioned there will be three factions to cooperate with (but not join, as the main character is already an undercover military soldier). ”Duty’s and Freedom’s leaders and members are controlled by the criminal authority nicknamed Sultan, who is ready for cooperation with everyone if it is beneficial to him. However, even without joining a faction, it will be possible to become a dominant force by cooperating with others, for example when the scientists will lose the protection from the military, it will be possible to give them a hint about some guys from Freedom who are eager to grant scientists their services for a small price. For the Freedom faction it will mean a stable financial income and for the player – good relations with the faction and an access to their up-to-date equipment. ”Duty” will support you with machineguns, assault rifles and heavy armor, while ”Freedom” will equip you with sniper weaponry and their armor which is more suitable for exploration and protection from the environmental hazards. The bandits will possibly equip you with shotguns, but it is not clear yet.

Some side-quests have already been shown. For example, we can take a quest from the barman to find a specific artifact on the abandoned fishing vessel – the player finds the ship being surrounded and filled with anomalies, and when he finds his way through all the traps, finds the artifact and leaves the ship, he will be greeted by a stalker, who will ask the player to give him this artifact, as it is the only thing which can save his dying friend. If you’ll refuse to handle him the artifact – two heavy armed stalkers will block the road and ask you the same thing but in the less polite manner. If you will give the artifact, the two heavy armed stalkers will wait until the first one will run away, and then you can find him at the barman’s place selling the artifact. Of course the barman doesn’t care who found it first and the only thing he will say to your complaints is: ”This is the Zone, son.”

Another quest that has been showcased is from Sultan’s bandits. They try to establish control over stalkers, so they are attempting to make a raid at night on one of the stalkers’ bases. You can accept their offer and kill the stalkers or you can warn the stalkers of this threat and they will give you a counter-mission to engage the raid with the bandits but shoot them in the back. What to do is up to the player, but the both decisions will affect his reputation among stalkers and bandits.

The game is expected to have 20 unique characters with unique appearances taken from real life people.

Ship Sim Extremes PC video game HD GamesCom trailer Free demo download

In Ship Simulator Extremes, take control of wide variety of ships including hovercrafts, coast guard interceptors, mammoth tankers, tugs, cruise liners, and more as you engage in story lines that will take you to locations all over the globe.

Find out what it's like to lead a ship across a wide range of geographic locations and into extreme, and ultra-realistic weather conditions.



Players will navigate the open seas in an attempt to complete missions that will lead you anywhere from the bitter cold of Antarctica, to the tropical paradise of Bora Bora.

Download a free demo here...

New trailer for Mount & Blade Warband PC video game

New trailer for the highly-anticipated Mount & Blade - Warband.

Ride into battle with pride with the new trailer that gives a preview of the journey and path to discover in Calradia.

Mount & Blade: Warband is geared to raise the level of intensity of the original Mount & Blade, incorporating a brand new multiplayer feature that enables up to 64 players to fight for glory on a single map in team deathmatch style battles. Seasoned veterans and newcomers alike will find much to love as they command scores of hardened warriors through lands ravaged by constant raids and skirmishes. Mount & Blade: Warband also improves on many aspects of the orignal game that introduced the world to groundbreaking horseback combat, intuitive swordplay, and a free-form environment.