Dead Rising 2 in Development for Xbox 360 and PS3

According to reports, Dead Rising 2, the sequel to the Xbox 360 exclusive developed by Capcom, is in development for the Sony PS3 and Xbox 360. …

For those unfamiliar with the game, Dead Rising was an extremely popular game during Xbox 360’s first year after launch. The game threw you in a mall filled with thousands of zombies, with hundreds on the screen at once in some instances. The fun (and novelty) came by way of you be able to use anything around you, whether it be a traffic cones, shovels, bench, plant, etc. to kill these zombies.

The game was a huge seller and according to reports from EGM and other sources, is now heading to multiple consoles as Dead Rising 2 will not be an Xbox 360 exclusive.

According to reports the game is going to be developed by a developer in Los Angeles who will do all of the actual coding for the game.

According to EGM this is still a rumor, but one with some weight.

Microsoft Game Studios Inks New Deal with IDV Inc

COLUMBIA, SC– Interactive Data Visualization recently inked a major agreement with Microsoft Game Studios for use of the SpeedTree®RT foliage software into 2008.

Best selling Microsoft racing game Project Gotham Racing® 3 and the newly-released Project Gotham Racing® 4 feature extensive use of SpeedTree.

IDV’s award-winning technology will also be appearing in a number of Microsoft projects yet to be announced. These new titles will be published on Games for Windows® and Xbox 360™.

“Our partnership with Microsoft ensures that their customers will continue to experience richer, more enjoyable gaming worlds,” said IDV President Michael Sechrest.“We are very grateful that our technology will be included with Microsoft’s offerings.”

SpeedTreeRT, winner of the 2005 Front Line Award for middleware, delivers highly realistic trees and plants, with adjustable wind effects, user-configurable and seamless LOD transitions, and an included library of hundreds of tree, plant and marine models representing more than 200 core species. SpeedTreeRT includes SpeedTreeCAD, a Windows application used to create and edit animated trees in real-time.

Interactive Data Visualization, Inc. (IDV) develops software products with a focus on real-time three dimensional applications for the game development, visual simulation, engineering visualization, and animation industries. IDV, a privately held corporation, was founded in 1999 in Columbia, South Carolina. For more information about IDV, visit www.idvinc.com.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Downloadable Maps on the Way!

New multiplayer maps are coming this Spring! No word yet on the number of maps or their pricing.

by: Evan Fecko

Fresh intel from Activision headquarters reports that new global conflicts are planned in the form of downloadable multiplayer maps for the award-winning Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. In development for both Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation3 computer entertainment system, the upcoming downloadable content will thrust gamers into a hot zone of added combat across a variety of intense multiplayer locales.

“We’ve demonstrated our commitment to delivering the best multiplayer experience in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and that continues with our plans for new downloadable content,” explains Infinity Ward’s Community Manager, Robert Bowling. “We’re excited about the new maps, and the added gameplay variety, and we can’t wait to wrap things up and get online with everyone.”

The new downloadable content is scheduled for release this spring, and will be available on Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network.

lost odyssey video

4 big secret games ?

Xbox 360's Four Secret Games: Gears of War 2, DOA5, Forza 3 and Halo: Chronicles. UK's best selling independent 360 magazine XboxWorld 360 has a scoop on what could be four big unannounced exclusive 360 games in their March issue.

Please take note that XboxWorld 360 is part of online gaming news website CVG.

The article is called "The secret is out"

The games in question are:

Gears of War 2
Dead or Alive 5
Forza 3
Halo: Chronicles

Of course these are only rumors but could these be the games Microsoft is going to announce at GDC 2008, XboxWorld 360 Certainly do.

Brand New Soul Calibur IV Screens

Eidos confirm Just Cause 2 is in development

Eidos have today officially announced that they will be releasing Just Cause 2.
The game will once again be developed by Avalanche Studios and will see players reprise the role of Rico Rodriquez, but this time he will be in the South East Asian islands of Panau.

With more stunts, vehicles and weapons than ever before and an incredible overhauled grappling hook, Rico returns to action in Panau, an incredibly detailed and vast 1000 sq km game world of different climates and ultra-realistic weather effects. Leap from your plane and skydive from 10,000 feet down into a tropical jungle, tear across an arid desert in a dune buggy or climb your way up a snowy mountain in a 4x4. The vast open-ended, unique gameplay is back, allowing you full freedom once again to free roam and explore the massive world of Panau and tackle your assignments however you want.

With a new and improved air, land and sea stunt system featuring Rico’s notorious parachute and grappling hook, taken to incredible new extremes and a massive array of new vehicles featuring an advanced driving model, players can now pull off some of the finest action stunts ever seen in a video game in a truly massive and beautifully rendered environment.

“Remember everything you loved about Just Cause, then take it to the next level: vehicles, stunts, weapons, freedom, grappling hook, action, everything,” said Alex Price, Brand Manager. “The game world is even more incredible in Just Cause 2 and Rico has done a bit of growing up, so expect quite a few new surprises up his sleeves.”

Just Cause 2 will be released on the Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation 3 sometime this year.

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Rumour: Gears of War 2 now official?

By Mike Bowden - 01 Feb 08
Rumours, rumours and even more rumours: this is one that just won't go away however. Yes, Gears of War 2 speculation has reared it's ugly head again and this time it's because Gamepro magazine claims to have an exclusive (don't they all)?, and proudly emboss the Gears of War 2 logo on their front cover.

Whether or not this is all hokum remains to bee seen. I'm scans will be up all over the net once it comes out on the 12th February. However, while you wait, check out below...

New NG2 video

-Unreal 3.5 engine
-4 News weapons
-twice as big as the previous game
-controllable air vehicles
-New methods of melee
-New action set pieces
-Outdoor enviroment to inclued battle wars
The gears of war 2 map codename silent knight takes us within the locust stronghold.

Condemned 2: Bloodshot Multiplayer Revealed!

by: Evan Fecko
January 25, 2008



Taking the Condemned universe to a new and even more intense level, Condemned 2: Bloodshot will introduce a variety of bone-chilling online multiplayer modes for up to eight players including:

Crime Scene:
Crime Scene is an innovative round-based competition to find and protect valuable evidence within the Condemned universe. One team will use their forensic tools to track and scan the evidence while the opposing team will do everything in their power to keep the evidence hidden and protected.

Bum Rush:
Bum Rush is a team-based race against time. With three minutes before one team can safely be evacuated, players must hold off an onslaught of attacks by the other team until the timer runs out in order to stand a chance of survival.

Deathmatch:
Deathmatch is the classic free-for-all mode. Players can use every weapon they can find to dispatch enemies as quickly as possible in this melee battle royale. The player with the highest score at the end of the time limit wins.

Team Deathmatch:
Team Deathmatch is the team-based version of the classic free-for-all mode. Working together, players pick up weapons from the environment and fight off as many enemies as possible before the clock runs down. The team with the highest score after the time limit wins.

GTA IV Hitting Streets Worldwide on April 29

Rockstar Games has announced that latest installment in its multi-million selling Grand Theft Auto series will be released worldwide for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on April 29.

Xbox Turns Q2 Profit

Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division is now officially halfway towards a full year of Xbox profitability


The Redmond, Wash.-based Xbox house said Thursday that for the second fiscal quarter ended December 31, the EDD’s operating income reached $357 million, up from a $302 million loss for the same period a year ago.

Operating income within the division increased during the quarter primarily due to increased revenue, decreased cost of revenue and decreased marketing and sales expenses.

Lower manufacturing costs for Xbox 360 hardware drove the cost of revenue down $523 million, or 22 percent during the quarter.

Total revenues for the EDD, which houses Xbox, PC games and Zune, among other businesses, were $3.06 billion, up from $3 billion for the same period a year prior.

Overall, Microsoft posted fiscal Q2 sales of $16.37 billion (up 30 percent year-on-year), operating income of $6.48 billion (up 87 percent) and earnings per share of 50 cents (up 92 percent).

Microsoft attributed EDD’s increased revenue to Xbox 360. Xbox 360 game sales, Xbox Live revenues and Xbox accessory sales partially offset lower Xbox 360 console sales, according to the company.

“We shipped 4.3 million and 6.1 million Xbox 360 consoles in the second quarter and first half of fiscal year 2008, respectively, as compared to 4.4 million and 5.4 million Xbox 360 consoles in the second quarter and first half of fiscal year 2007, respectively,” the firm said. Microsoft said in early January the Xbox 360 had sold 17.7 million units globally, life-to-date.

“…For the remainder of fiscal year 2008,we expect revenue to increase due to increased sales of Xbox 360 consoles and related games, accessories, and services.”

In 2007, Microsoft's EDD posted a Q1 profit of $165 million.

Prior to this fiscal year, Microsoft had pledged that the Xbox division would finally turn a profit for an entire year, a notable change for a division known as a money-loser.

Burnout Paradise: Xbox 360 Vs PlayStation 3

Burnout Paradise is the most anticipated game of January 2008 and rightfully so. Find out why we love it by heading over to our Burnout Paradise review, but read on for the definitive verdict on which version is the best. We're going to compare the two games in four key areas (Graphics, Sound, Gameplay and Multiplayer) so you know if you should buy the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 version
link below
http://www.videogamer.com/features/article/22-01-2008-267.html

uk console vg chart week ending jan 20th

UK:

DS: 59,337
Wii: 41,178
360: 16,635
PS3: 13,278
PSP: 9,383
PS2: 7,178

Virtua Fighter 5 Update Available

SEGA Europe Ltd. today announced it has released a new downloadable patch for Virtua Fighter 5,
by: Jason Solorzano
January 16, 2008



SEGA Europe Ltd. today announced it has released a new downloadable patch for Virtua Fighter 5, the critically acclaimed arcade fighting game now available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The patch will include a number of gameplay additions and enhancements including:

Some characters will now be able to select costume-specific pants in alternate costumes, for example equipping Costume A pants in Costume B.

Replays of online battles can now be saved.

One additional item per character (appear as "Downloaded item" in Costume settings/Item edit dialog).
Gamer pictures will now be shown in online battles.

After winning the World Tournament Final, it's now more likely that rivals you have not defeated will be playing in arcades.

When someone joins an online match, you can now see their connection quality.

Various fixes for minor bugs, including a texture bug.
Easier sorting of rankings.
Rematches in Online VS. Player Matches now possible even when the players haven't added their opponent to their friend list

The Xbox 360 version of Virtua Fighter 5 is based on the latest arcade version update and features both analog stick and D-pad control, as well as vibration support. The game also includes an improved Quest mode featuring more CPU rivals, items, and emblems for character customisation. The DOJO mode has added features including leaderboards, training move settings, improved throw escape training, and the option to change your opponent's position and recovery type. These all work to create a more refined DOJO mode where players can improve their fighting strategy.