PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 concepts revealed

Over at core 77 they have published some Tai Chiem console concepts for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720...

Take a look here...

133 Easter Eggs listed for Burnout Paradise - Big Surf Island

Here's the full list of Easter Eggs to be found on Big Surf Island! lease note that these are solely the place names and hidden graffiti text!

There are one or two unrelated Easter Eggs to be found but I'll leave it to you l33t players to figure those out!

Places

1. Inspiral Car Park
2. The Loop
3. Holness Hotel
4. Noel's
5. Paradise University
6. Blackburn Hotel
7. Magpie
8. Divine's Hotel
9. Monkhouse Royal
10. Tucker Towers
11. Zammo Mansions
12. Stilgoe's Mall
13. Philbin Apartments
14. Saville Tech
15. The J. Craven
16. The Hairy Cornflake
17. Chegwin Hotel
18. Crackerjack House
19. Krankee's Chilli
20. Our Tune Hotel
21. Deckard Sushi
22. Shep's Surf Shop
23. Belly Busters
24. A Local Mini Mart / For Local People
25. Itchy Starfish Club
26. Brucie's Used Autos / The Price is Right
27. No. 73
28. Noakes Plaza
29. Byker Grove
30. Cap'n Jaspers Big Surf Restaurant
31. Els Bels Resort
32. Happy Sundaes
33. Sgt. Sullivans Stunt Shack
34. Grange Hill

Hidden Text
35. Just say no!
36. Say what you see!
37. Blobby Blobby Blobby
38. You just can't beat a bit of bully
39. John Kettley...weatherman?
40. Our survey says...
41. Supermatch game
42. And away you go!
43. All done in the best possible taste!

Have fun finding them all!

Battle your way to victory at International Fighting Games Tournament 'Super VS Battle' next weekend!

With the release of Street Fighter IV, King of Fighters XII, BlazBlue, and the upcoming release of Tekken 6, the fighting game scene worldwide has been rapidly expanding, resulting in more interest in tournaments and casual sessions. As such, the folks over at Neo Empire have decided to make Super VS Battle 2009 an international event, in search of the world's best fighting game players.

The 3-day long tournament will contain a main roster of 10 games, along with even more side-tournaments to compete in, and casual play for those hoping to level their game up. The 10 main games at Super VS Battle 2009 are:

• Street Fighter IV
• Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
• Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
• Street Fighter Alpha 3
• Capcom vs. SNK 2
• Guilty Gear XX Accent Core
• BlazBlue
• King of Fighters XII
• Soul Calibur IV
• Tekken 6

Not only will Tekken 6 be free to play for anyone who has paid venue entry, but it will be the PS3 version - which isn't released until October! Free Tekken 6 posters will be distributed to those playing the game.

Also at the event will be the director of Arc System Works; the development team behind Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, among other titles, for a possible Q&A session on the Saturday. Merchandise will also be available for those partaking in the event!

Super VS Battle 2009 will be taking place from the 11th-13th September, 2009. Make sure you don't miss this opportunity to become recognised in the scene, and make new friends/rivals. As anyone who's been to a tournament of the sort will know, there's sure to be a lot of hype, drama, and intense matches!

NeoGames and Gaming Media Group create a Scratchcard Heaven

NeoGames have announced that they have supplied their white label services to Gaming Media Group to create a new scratch card brand, called ‘ScratchcardHeaven’ that compliments the company’s existing gaming brands.

Gaming Media Group, are a leading European gaming operation company who manage one of Europe’s largest online poker rooms called Pokerheaven.com and in addition operate Europe’s biggest TV gaming network, ‘The Poker Channel’ as one of their subsidiary businesses.

Among its popular brands are also BingoJoy and CasinoJoy. With NeoGames’ white label services, Gaming Media Group have added a fourth, independent games brand.

Scratchcard Heaven will be fully operated by NeoGames who have created and localized a new and separate homepage with their extensive portfolio of over 40 interactive scratch card games. As part of the service, a new VIP club has been custom built and rebranded for Scratchcard Heaven members called Heaven’s Stars.

Michael Labrecque, CFO of NeoGames, states:

“We are honoured and thrilled to be working with Gaming Media Group and are proud to have created Scratchcard Heaven. This is NeoGames’ 5th partner, with whom we foresee enjoying a successful and profitable long term working relationship with.”

Crispin Nieboer, CEO of Gaming Media Group also stated:

“We see the addition of ScratchcardHeaven.com as widening the appeal of our brand portfolio, responding to a growing demand for fun and easy to play games. We are pleased to partner with NeoGames to promote ScratchcardHeaven.com to our key European markets where we are already seeing some strong interest.”

New Global Agenda video game maps debut at PAX '09

The Penny Arcade Expo show floor is featuring the action MMO Global Agenda and introducing three newly polished maps and game-styles:

- Ice-Flow is an Escort map set outside a Siberian facility with the lights of the Aurora Borealis visible against the evening sky

- Seaside is a 3-point Ticket map set upon a massive drilling platform suspended above a storming Northern Atlantic ocean

- Climate Control is an Attack/Defend map set within the mountains of East Asia and populated with trees that sway in the blowing wind.

These maps have emerged recently from Global Agenda's Closed Beta Test 1 (CBT1) and have been warmly received by the PAX crowd according to Executive Producer Todd Harris. "First-time players are hopping on a station, playing team-based missions, and then returning with additional friends to play more", says Todd. "Our Dev Team here at PAX is thrilled to see players enjoying MMO game-play for its own sake rather than simply to level-up a character. Our booth is a grind-free zone".

Later this year, developer Hi-Rez Studios plans to introduce Campaign functionality which will initiate a massive persistent conflict between player created Agency groups for limited territory, technology, and resources in the world of Global Agenda. Players interested in joining this pending Closed Beta Test 2 (CBT2) phase of Global Agenda can apply at www.globalagendagame.com

Uncharted unplayable after PlayStation 3 Firmware 3.0 update

Sony are looking into the issue...

“Rest assured that we are looking into the matter and will provide an update here as soon as possible,” Sony’s Patrick Seybold wrote. “We apologize for any inconvenience, as it’s our mission to deliver the best consumer experience on all PlayStation platforms.”

New Grand Theft Auto IV Xbox 360 update fix multiplayer and cheaters fixed!

Grand Theft Auto IV has passed Microsoft certification and is available now. Get ready for the update screen for the next time you boot up the title.

A simple patch that addresses two key issues present in the title’s multiplayer component: invisible characters and holes cheaters. Apparently, there was some sort of bug that allowed people to become Kevin Bacon during matches. The cheat code thing, we weren’t even aware of.

Rockstar doesn’t elaborate on its official blog, but it's stated that somehow, people managed to use a cheat code exploit in the component.

If those two things got you down, it’s time to pick up that chin and head back in. "The Ballad of Gay Tony" is hitting quite soon, so sharpen those skills.

Fab - The Secret World - dark days are coming - MMO video game cinematic movie trailer

Dark days are coming - fab new game video.

The words are now everywhere. After deciding to make the development its next massively multiplayer online game a little less secret, Funcom have now released information, artworks and the first ever trailer video for The Secret World.



Journalists across the world recently had the chance to sit down and talk to game director Ragnar Tørnquist about the new game and hear his vision, thus generating reports on websites everywhere.

"It is great to finally be able to talk about The Secret World, after several years in the dark," says senior producer and director Ragnar Tørnquist. "The real world is such a rich and fascinating setting for an MMO, and we are able to draw inspiration from ancient history, stories of lost cities and forgotten civilizations, folktales, urban legends, conspiracy theories and pop culture. We are building a game that mixes modern day Earth with terrifying monsters, dark and occult magic, cool weapons and awesome powers - and it's unlike anything you have ever seen before in an MMO."

EA and Claire’s Team Up to Promote Charm Girls Club Video Games for Girls

Electronic Arts announce a promotion with retail store chain, Claire’s, to cross-promote EA’s upcoming series of video games for girls: CHARM GIRLS CLUB.

Claire’s branding will be featured in CHARM GIRLS CLUB My Fashion Mall, one of the four games in the EA series which will be released this October, and on the CHARM GIRLS CLUB Web site as part of the outreach to attract the game’s target consumer: tween girls, ages 8-12, many of whom shop Claire’s stores for fashion accessories, jewelry, cosmetics and more.

“We're delighted to partner with Claire's,” said Steve Seabolt, Vice President of Global Brand Development for EA. “The company is smart, global, forward-thinking, and have their fingers on the pulse of the tween girl audience. It's a relationship we believe will benefit Claire’s customers, who we hope will also become fans of CHARM GIRLS CLUB.”

In CHARM GIRLS CLUB My Fashion Mall, players help manage a mall and take it from drab to fab tackling wacky mall mishaps along the way. In the virtual mall, players will not only find a Claire’s storefront and mentions throughout the game, they will participate in mini-game challenges at the store and add Claire’s-branded charms to their virtual jewelry box. The title is one of three CHARM GIRLS CLUB games available for the Nintendo DS, a popular gaming system among tween girls. EA will also promote Claire’s on the CHARM GIRLS CLUB Web site at www.charmgirlsclub.com.

As part of the promotion, girls will be able to play the CHARM GIRLS CLUB “Accessorize It” mini-game on the Claire’s Web site www.claires.com in the Fun & Games section. The mini-game will give visitors insight into the kind of fun, fashionable and interactive gaming experiences they can expect from EA’s CHARM GIRLS CLUB titles. Claire’s will also promote the CHARM GIRLS CLUB games by featuring the brand on its global Web sites.

CHARM GIRLS CLUB is a new, original series of games for tween girls that are all about fun, friendship and collecting charms. In the games, girls are immersed into the exciting world of the Charm Girls where they will complete challenges that are fresh, fun and relevant to their world, collecting sparkly virtual charms along the way. EA will release four CHARM GIRLS CLUB titles in October including CHARM GIRLS CLUB Pajama Party for the Nintendo Wii, and three titles for the Nintendo DS: CHARM GIRLS CLUB My Fashion Mall, CHARM GIRLS CLUB My Perfect Prom and CHARM GIRLS CLUB My Fashion Show.

Dragon Age: Origins to Feature the Voices of Fantasy and Sci-Fi Stars Tim Curry and Kate Mulgrew

Award-Winning Celebrities Featured in BioWare’s Dark Fantasy Epic.

BioWare has secured a star-studded voiceover cast for its upcoming game, Dragon Age: Origins. Featuring Tim Curry, star of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Broadway’s Spamalot, Kate Mulgrew, well-known for her role as Capt.
Kathryn Janeway in “Star Trek: Voyager”, Dragon Age: Origins also includes notable cast members Tim Russ (“Star Trek: Voyager,” “Samantha Who?”), Claudia Black (“Stargate SG-1,” “Pitch Black”) and Steve Valentine (“Estate of Panic,” “Crossing Jordan”).

Dragon Age: Origins marks BioWare’s return to fantasy, created from the ground up to take players through a dark epic tale filled with violence, lust, and betrayal.>

Tim Curry will play the villainous Arl Rendon Howe. Howe is the calculating villain, cultured and charming, with an insatiable lust for power, who never hesitates to harm anyone who gets in his way. Kate Mulgrew will lend her vocal flair to Flemeth, a powerful witch who maintains her immortality through the darkest of means, and who plays a pivotal role in the player’s survival. Both roles provide the actors with the opportunity to bring their considerable talents to bear in their portrayal of these characters.

“Dragon Age: Origins has the largest cast of characters of any game BioWare has ever made,” said Mark Darrah, Executive Producer, BioWare. “By working with an incredibly talented cast of actors we are able to bring reality and depth to the characters, their back stories, motivations, and dreams that our talented writers have created for them.”

In Dragon Age: Origins, players take on the role of a Grey Warden, one of the last of an ancient order of guardians who have served as protectors throughout the centuries. Only they have the power to unite the shattered lands, defeat the Archdemon and drive back the darkspawn that threaten to destroy the world. Players will interact with many interesting characters who may join them in their quest, and they will choose whether these characters become friends, foes, or even a romantic interest. Featuring a deep and compelling story where every choice can have a dramatic impact on the game, Dragon Age: Origins is scheduled to release on November 3, 2009 in North America, for the PC and Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system and later in November for the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system.

Dragon Age: Origins is rated M by the ESRB.