Game News: November 07, 2006

Xbox Live To Feature Movie Downloads (NewsFactor)
   NewsFactor - Microsoft has become the first game console maker to ink content-distribution deals with TV and movie studios, formally expanding the Xbox 360's capability from a gaming device to an entertainment hub.

Killers lose "spirit" in new Christian video game (Reuters)
   Reuters - A Christian video game based on prophecies from the Bible's Book of Revelation takes a new twist on video game violence -- draining the "spirit" of characters who slay enemies rather than making them stronger.

Xbox Live To Feature Movie Downloads (NewsFactor)
   NewsFactor - Microsoft has become the first game console maker to ink content-distribution deals with TV and movie studios, formally expanding the Xbox 360's capability from a gaming device to an entertainment hub.

The Great Invasion: Three Years of Development
   Nov 07, 2006, 4:42 pm (GMT -7)
Well, it seems that another year has passed us by. As unbelievable as it may sound, Space Ruckus: The Great Invasion has been in development for three years now. Over the course of that time, we have put together a great deal of material, including 3D models, banners, concept art, level designs, music compositions, plot scripts, posters, programming code/documentation, videos, voice work, web stuff, and a slew of other things. Of course, we have had our fair share of setbacks. We have lost a few people along the way, but have always been fortunate enough to have other people waiting in the wings to take their places. We are closer than ever to release, but as always, we could certainly use more talent on our team. We have a contact form just for that. More game details will be revealed soon, we promise.

Blitz The League Takes the Field on the Xbox 360 in Stores Nationwide
   

Midway Games Inc. A leading interactive entertainment industry publisher and developer, announced that it has shipped Blitz The League for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Bill Romanowski, a 4-time Super Bowl champion and arguably one of the most feared linebackers to play the game, joins Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor as co-cover athlete of Blitz The League for the Xbox 360 which delivers a host of new features, including new cities, All-Star teams, and achievement points.

Gears of War: The Gears Experience
   Discover what makes Gears of War the transcendent killer-app for Xbox 360 that it is being proclaimed as.

Microsoft sees gamers online as key to growth (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Microsoft Corp.'s ability to convert occasional players of online video games into regular gamers is key to growth for the next-generation Xbox 360 console, a company executive said on Tuesday.

Gears of War: Building Gears Skills
   Tips and tricks for the year's most highly anticipated game: Epic's Gears of War.

Teenage Champion Snowboarders Battle it Out on Xbox Live Arcade
   

Brother and sister duo Spencer and Brooke Shaw, who are USASA (United States of America Snowboard Association) champions at the young ages of 13 and 15 respectively, will desert the slopes, and swap ski caps for headsets as part of the latest Xbox Live Game with Fame session ? the first ever featuring a Xbox Live Arcade title. Xbox Live Gold members interested in testing their skills in Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting on Xbox 360 should be on the lookout for the Xbox Live gamertag ShawGWF on Tuesday, November 7 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. PST 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. EST.

Carmelo Anthony Grabs Cover for NBA Street Hometown
   

Electronic Arts announced that Carmelo Anthony will be the cover athlete of NBA STREET Homecourt, the fourth chapter in the critically acclaimed and culturally defining 3-on-3 basketball videogame franchise that will hit shelves in 2007. Anthony, who has appeared on the covers of NCAA March Madness 2004 and NBA LIVE 2005, will become the first athlete to ever appear on the cover of all three of EA?s popular basketball franchises.

Incubus Xbox Live Artist of the Month
   

Beginning November 1, Xbox Live members can download exclusive Incubus content from Xbox Live Marketplace to their Xbox 360 consoles, including free videos from their highly anticipated new album Light Grenades, which is set be released on November 28. Fans can download the video Anna Molly for free on Xbox Live Marketplace, and select Xbox Live Gold members will also have the opportunity to go head to head with the band in Gears of War during their 90-minute Xbox Live Game with Fame session. Fans who are interested in gaming against Incubus should log onto http://www.enjoyincubus.com/xbox/ sign up.

Viva Piñata Coming Soon!
   Experience a magical world of free-roaming, living animals you shape and guide in the new Viva Piñata game for Xbox 360.

Gears of War in Stores Now
   Gears of War, an Xbox 360 exclusive that blends tactical action with survival horror, thrusts gamers into a deep and harrowing story of humankind's epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde, a nightmarish race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet.

Watch Gears of War TV Spot!
   Gears of War, an Xbox 360 exclusive that blends tactical action with survival horror, thrusts gamers into a deep and harrowing story of humankind's epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde, a nightmarish race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the planet.

Second Warning for Take-Two
   Take-Two, the seemingly forever-embattled publisher of 'Grand Theft Auto,' has announced it has received a second notice from NASDAQ informing the company that it is not in compliance with the requirements for continued listing on the stock market. NASDAQ requires companies to file quarterly financi...

New, Unannounced Marvel Games?
   In its quarterly financial statement, Marvel Enterprises revealed its full 2007 videogame release schedule. While 'Ghost Rider,' 'Marvel Universe Card Game' and 'Spider-Man 3' were already known, the remaining three games came as somewhat of a surprise. Activision has not only lost the 'Iron Man' l...

THQ Makes Next Pixar Movie Game
   'Ratatouille' is the next animated film from Brad Bird, the director of 'The Incredibles,' and is due summer 2007. And since no animated movie can go without a videogame tie-in, THQ has announced it will partner with Disney Pixar to publish the game. The movie follows a rat name Remy who is looking...

'Guitar Hero' Playable on PS3?
   Easily the most common question we get regarding PlayStation 3 backwards-compatibility, and possibly even PS3 overall, is whether or not we'll be able to play the Guitar Hero series on the PlayStation 3. Up until now there hasn't been any sort of official word of an adaptor for the PS3, but it seems...

PS3 Pre-Order Problem
   A leaked online PS3 pre-order form on BestBuy.com has lead to a minor Internet scandal. The other day, several message boards were buzzing with a link that allowed online pre-orders at Best Buy. Those who followed the link could fully purchase a PS3, with an expected shipping date of November 17. Un...

Grand Theft Auto Compilation Announced
   Rockstar Games has announced that it plans to release 'Grand Theft Auto 3,' 'Grand Theft Auto: Vice City,' and 'Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' together as the original trilogy for the PlayStation 2. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy will ship to retail stores on December 4th for $39.99....

Film, TV downloads newly available via Xbox 360 (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Microsoft Corp. will unlock the digital-distribution capabilities of its next-generation console, Xbox 360, to Hollywood studios beginning November 22.

Microsoft confirms Xbox 360 shipment forecasts (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday confirmed its forecast for shipments of Xbox 360 video game consoles and said its ability to convert occasional online gamers into console users would be key to growth.

Film, TV downloads newly available via Xbox 360 (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Microsoft Corp. will unlock the digital-distribution capabilities of its next-generation console, Xbox 360, to Hollywood studios beginning November 22.

Wii Accessorize
   The IGN Gear team happened to be hanging around the Target store on Santa Monica & La Brea in sunny LA this past weekend, and low and beheld, we found the first Wii Gear on shelves we've seen. A rather battered cardboard display seemed to be occupying the space where a display Wii will eventually re...

Watch TV on Your 360?
   Not ready to pick sides in the upcoming HD format war? Maybe you don't have to just yet. On November 22nd, Microsoft is launching the video marketplace for Xbox Live. This new service will allow Xbox 360 owners with access to a high speed internet connection to download a variety of HD and standard ...

Wii Play
   HANDS-ON: We try out all nine mini games, including the brand-new Tank game.
Wii Play is a family-orientated multiplayer game package, in a similar vein to Wii Sports, comprising of nine different games that hope to have you, your little sister and your good old gran flailing your arms around like nutters when the Wii is released.

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Microsoft to Offer Video Downloads for Xbox 360 (PC World)
   PC World - New service launching on November 22 lets users download movies and TV shows from Xbox Live.

Disney opens Nintendo-focused video game studio (Reuters)
   

Reuters - The Walt Disney Co.'s Buena Vista Game unit on Tuesday announced a new video game studio that will focus on creating new and Disney-inspired titles for Nintendo Co. Ltd's (7974.OS) hand-held DS player and upcoming Wii console.

PS3 'High Definition' video
   An old woman in an exploding apartment and safari scenes...
Here's a quick blast to let you know that PS3films.com has been updated with a new video focusing on the high definition aspects of Sony's next-gen console.

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Xbox Live To Feature Movie Downloads (NewsFactor)
   NewsFactor - Microsoft has become the first game console maker to ink content-distribution deals with TV and movie studios, formally expanding the Xbox 360's capability from a gaming device to an entertainment hub.

Superman returns in new shots
   EA rips open its media shirt to reveal latest screens from the Man of Steel's adventure.
EA's movie tie-in Superman Returns is nearly upon as after being delayed for a bit of extra tweaking. Versions of the game are out on GBA, DS, Xbox, Xbox 360 and PS2, the Xbox 360 and DS versions leading the charge on November 24 and the rest following in December.



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Parabellum: New shots
   Explosive action in Alcony's Unreal Engine 3-based tactical shooter.
After its first unveiling at the Leipzig Games Convention in August this year, three new shots of Parabellum have surfaced, showing off its character models and explosions.

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C++ for Game Programmers Book Release
   

Course PTR announces the release of C++ for Game Programmers, second edition, an updated and expanded edition of this reference.

Disney goes Wii
   Buena Vista Games forms new Nintendo-focused studio.
Buena Vista Games has formed Fall Line Studio, a new development studio based in Salt Lake City which is to concentrate on creating games for Nintendo platforms.

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Sony takes pop at MS's TV and movie downloads
   "PlayStation 3's content is designed for everyone to enjoy right out of the box, no matter which configuration you purchase" - Sony.
Sony has criticised Microsoft's just-announced TV and movie download action for Xbox Live Marketplace for requiring a hard drive to take advantage of the service - or in other words, it's not a feature that's available to owners of an Xbox 360 Core system unless they fork out for an HDD.

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Movies, TV shows for Xbox 360 users (AFP)
   

AFP - Software giant Microsoft will lanch a service that allows users of its Xbox 360 game console to download and watch movies, television shows and other video content.

Poor French mobile, music sales dent Vivendi Q3 (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Vivendi on Tuesday posted flat third-quarter sales growth, slightly below forecast, as poor trading at its SFR mobile unit and music business dented solid revenues from video games and Maroc Telecom .

Online games lift spirits of seriously ill kids (USATODAY.com)
   USATODAY.com - Serious illness such as cancer, cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia can be frightening and confusing for children, but the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation wants to help educate today's tech-savvy kids about these diseases in a way that appeals to them: through Internet games.

Championship Manager 2007 console-bound
   Entirely new iteration of latest CM title shouting from the dugout on Xbox 360, PS2 and PSP.
In Q1 2007, Xbox 360, PS2 and PSP will be slipping into sheepskin coats for the arrival of Championship Manager 2007.



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Xbox 360 gets downloadable movies, TV shows
   South Park, CSI and Superman Returns part of initial wave of digitally delivered entertainment.
As of November 22, US Xbox 360 owners will be able to take advantage of digital distribution of high-definition (and standard def) TV shows and movies via Xbox Live Marketplace.

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Company Creates CyberBikes To Whip Young Gamers Into Shape (TechWeb)
   TechWeb - A British company has created technology that will not allow video game controls to work unless the player is moving on an exercise machine.

Take-Two embraces Fantastic Four sequel
   The Thing, Mr. Fantastic, The Human Torch and Invisible Woman back to duff up supervillains.
A Fantastic Four movie sequel is, unsurprisingly, receiving the videogame adaptation treatment.

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Film, TV downloads newly available via Xbox 360 (Reuters)
   Reuters - Microsoft Corp. will unlock the digital-distribution capabilities of its next-generation console, Xbox 360, to Hollywood studios beginning November 22.