Game News: November 17, 2006

Sony Launches PlayStation 3 In U.S. Amid Frenzy (TechWeb)
   TechWeb - NEW YORK, - Thousands camped outside of stores on Friday to be among the first U.S. buyers of Sony Corp.'s new PlayStation 3 video game machine, but violence marred the debut when one man was shot outside a Connecticut store.

EBayers Making Killing In PlayStation 3 Auctions (TechWeb)
   TechWeb - One console that was offered in an auction that was nearing its close on Friday afternoon had bids that reached $2,850. Sony suggests a retail price of $500 for the basic system.

Halo Nation Prepares to Finish the Fight
   On the fifth anniversary of the release of the landmark video game, Microsoft and Bungie announced an upcoming multiplayer public beta and exclusive television ad.

A Piñata in a Pear Tree
   The Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system comes to your rescue with the perfect gift designed to meet the needs of every person's interest, budget or age on your holiday shopping list.

Reservoir Dogs Prima Guide
   You gonna bark all day, little doggie? Live the movie and learn what happened off-screen in the videogame adaptation of the classic Quentin Tarantino cult film Reservoir Dogs.

Reservoir Tips from Prima Games
   Revisit the 1992 cult film by experiencing Reservoir Dogs as never before.

The ultimate way to play Gears
   We've played the ultimate version of Gears and after this, HD is dead and buried.
So hoorah finally it's here, November 17, Emergence Day, when many of you will finally get your hands on Gears of War, Cliffy B and Epic's awesome shooter which is the first true second generation game (check out our review here for the full and definitive story).



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Take-Two's PS3 line-up revealed
   L.A. Noire, The Darkness and Grand Theft Auto IV among the ones to watch. Prepare to be astonished says company boss.
Day one launch titles from the company have been confirmed as NBA 2K7 and NHL 2K7 with a College Hoops 2K7 coming in January and Major League Baseball 2K7 in "late winter". Spring and summer 2007 see the arrival of The Darkness with NBA 2K8 and NHL 2K8 following in September.

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Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars for Xbox 360
   Electronic Arts today announced that the sci-fi real-time strategy game Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars (C&C 3) is in development for Xbox 360.

First Command & Conquer 360 screens
   Can EA crack the C&C controls on a pad? First screens inside...
EA's recent Lord Of The Ring RTS 360 game was dogged by dodgy controls but EA say that C&C Tiberium Wars' gameplay is "ultra-responsive, smooth-as-silk".



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The new MotoGP
   First screens and trailer of newly-announced official SBK bike racer.
Having acquired the official World Superbike Championship licence, Italian developer Milestone is set to release the next instalment of its hyper-realistic biking sim early next year for PS2, Xbox 360, PC and PSP.



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'Emergence Day' Smears UK 'Metro'
   Emergence Day has well and truly hit London, with adverts and promotions for 'Gears of War' almost consuming the capital's free newspaper 'Metro.' The paper, which is distributed in tube and train stations all over the city, has Xbox 360 featured on an incredible 48 pages out of a total of 64, from ...

Full PS3 Tech Report
   As with any game system launch, once the honeymoon in enjoying all the sexy new games and delectable hardware facets has run its course, the problems begin to arise. Whether it's the PS1's flip-it-to-play-it overheating issue, the Xbox 360's Red Circle o' Death, or the PSP and Nintendo DS's burnt pi...

'Gears of War' Coming to PC?
   In its holiday issue, soon to be on store shelves, PC Gamer may have inadvertently announced 'Gears of War' for Windows. On page 28 of the Holiday 2006 issue, a display stand photographed on the Microsoft campus shows 'Gears of War' among several upcoming PC games. Microsoft could not confirm that ...

Sony Losing Nearly $250 Per Console
   It was clear that the cost of producing PS3 units were high for Sony, forcing the company to charge $600 per unit, but now we know exactly how high. Next-gen.biz has offered a full analysis of Sony's expenses. As it turns out, Sony is losing $306.85 for each 20GB system sold and $241.35 for every 60...

Sony PlayStation 3 debuts amid shopper frenzy (Reuters)
   

Reuters - As a buying frenzy surrounding the U.S. launch on Friday of Sony's PlayStation 3 video game console moved out of mobbed stores and onto the Web, gamers' attention turned to Sunday's launch of Nintendo's Wii.

Game Publisher THQ Targets Wii, Not PS3 (Investor's Business Daily)
   Investor's Business Daily - Video game hardware transitions can be tricky for game publishers. But top-tier publisher THQ thinks it's made some safe bets this holiday season.

Nintendo Wii Enters Video Game Fray (Investor's Business Daily)
   Investor's Business Daily - It's a tennis racket. It's a fishing pole. It's a sword. It's a skateboard. No, it's a video game controller.

'Zelda' Creator Speaks Out
   Four years of work are at last coming to a close as 'Zelda: Twilight Princess' gets set to ship out to retailers throughout America to coincide with the 11/19 launch of the Wii. In what will likely be his last interview before the game's US release (the Japanese release isn't until 12/2), director E...

Doumo Arigatou, Mr. Miyamoto
   This is less a news piece and more a quiet salute to a man who has consistently shaped the video gaming paradigm for humanity since the early 80s. He nearly invented the platforming genre, created a stable of timeless and iconic characters, is a loving father and has a taste for gardening and banjo ...

Wii Channel Blackouts
   Most of the attention directed towards the upcoming Nintendo Wii console is based around the unique possibilities of the motion sensitive Wiimote, but that is not the end of the capabilities of the innovative new console. Of equal interest to many out there are the various Wii channels, unveiled thi...

Take-Two Gives Up 20 Titles for PS3
   It's no surprise that Take-Two is planning to support the PS3. However, few expected this morning's announcement that 20 PlayStation 3 games were in development. The majority of these games remain secret, but several are already known. Highlighting the list is 'Grand Theft Auto IV,' which ships on ...

Costco Avoids Launch Lines
   Seeking to avoid the furor that overran its stores with last year's Xbox 360 launch, Costco has decided not to stock the Wii or PS3 in its stores this week. Instead, customers can purchase bundles online at costco.com. In speaking with a Costco employee, IGN learned that Costco expects to get some ...

Nintendo hopes for console comeback (AP)
   

AP - Nintendo brought the world the mustachioed plumber Super Mario and has sold nearly 200 million Game Boy handheld machines over the years.

Gamer Shot in Conn. PlayStation Waiting Line
   November 17, 2006 HARTFORD, Conn. - Two armed thugs tried to rob a line of people waiting for the new Playstation 3 game system to go on sale early Friday and shot a man who refused to give up his money, authorities said. In other states, customers pushed and shoved their way to the shelves to get...

Nintendo bets on the Wii to expand video game market (Reuters)
   Reuters - Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s (7974.OS) new video game system will be released in the United States on Sunday as the No. 3 console maker continues its quest to expand the gaming audience beyond kids and young adults.

Nintendo: New console is for the masses (AP)
   AP - Nintendo Co. is launching its Wii game console on Sunday, accompanied by a swell of buzz about its unusual motion-sensing controller.

Art Institute of Vancouver to Host ARTmaggedon
   

On December 2, 2006, the Art Institute of Vancouver in Vancouver, British Columbia will host the first ARTmageddon Festival, a one-day event dedicated to showcasing the city's thriving game industry.

Man shot waiting to buy Playstation 3 (Reuters)
   

Reuters - A man was shot early on Friday morning outside a Wal-Mart store in Connecticut while waiting to buy a new Sony Playstation 3, Connecticut State police said.

Sony's PlayStation 3 makes chaotic US debut (AFP)
   

AFP - Violence broke out at the chaotic US launch of Sony's PlayStation 3 as game fans and profiteers mobbed stores nationwide to grab limited stocks of the must-have computer console.

PlayStation 3 Sells Out in Mere Minutes (NewsFactor)
   NewsFactor - Minutes. That's how long it took Sony's new PlayStation 3 -- the much-awaited, hotly anticipated game console -- to sell out in U.S. stores. The Washington Post reported that shoppers outside one Manhattan store lined up two days in advance, turning street trash into impromptu chairs and, at least in one case, using an old lamp shade to stave off the rain.

1 shot in Conn. Playstation waiting line (AP)
   

AP - Two armed thugs tried to rob a line of people waiting for the new Playstation 3 game system to go on sale early Friday and shot a man who refused to give up his money, authorities said.

PlayStation 3 Debuts to Crowds, Chaos (PC World)
   PC World - Supply doesn't come close to meeting demand in North America, tensions high.

Miyamoto talks HD Wii
   "Graphics wouldn't matter if the games weren't fun to play" says Miyamoto.
The Nintendo Wii might just have been a high-definition capable games console like its competitors had Nintendo not decided to focus on a more cost-effective, gameplay-orientated experience, Miyamoto has revealed.

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Ban this sick videogame filth!
   EU to crackdown on 'obscenely cruel' games?.
Not content with upsetting gamers with its mediocre gameplay, PS2 survival horror 'The Rule of Rose' (don't worry if you've not heard of it) has gone one step further and angered Europe's justice commissioner Franco Frattini, who has taken umbrage at the glorification of violence that features in similar games.

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PS3 launches US assault
   Sony's next-gen console has gone on sale in the US. Here's what's happening so far...
PlayStation 3 goes on sale this morning in the US and lines of gamers are already queuing up to get their hands on one. Or maybe more if they plan on selling them on for a profit.

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PlayStation 3 demos available online
   Sony's online service get the green light and demos are now live.
It's all a bit similar to Xbox Live in that you can download playable demos and trailers of upcoming games for free.

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Two Wii Channels not ready
   News and Weather Channels will not be available at launch.
When crazed US gamers hook up their new Wii's this Sunday, they will find that not all of the interactive Wii Channels previously announced by Nintendo will be available to them.



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DS MP3 Player launches aside Wii
   Listen to tunes on your DS from December 8.
The Nintendo MP3 Player is a small GBA cart-sized gadget that will allow you to listen to MP3 files stored on an SD memory card through your DS or GBA - much like the Play-Yan previously released in Japan.

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Braben reveals Elite's Future
   Two versions planned, with Elite MMO on the way, but don't hold your breath...
David Braben, co-creator of seminal Eighties space fighting sim Elite has revealed the future of the much-loved franchise to CVG in an exclusive interview earlier this week.

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P.S.: More PS3s are on the way (USATODAY.com)
   USATODAY.com - The lines of people hoping to buy Sony PlayStation 3 video game consoles at two neighboring electronics stores Thursday were both more than 100 strong and two days long. Serious gamers waited alongside industrious speculators who planned to flip their purchases for profits. And then there was Julie Mosley, solidifying a bid for Mother of the Year.

Burning Questions: PS3--The Blu-ray Movie Experience (PC World)
   PC World - How does the PlayStation 3 stack up as a movie player? We kicked back with the controller and popcorn to find out.