Game News: November 20, 2006

Dead or Alive 5 unveiled
   News of tag battles being dropped as latest instalment is confirmed.
Team Ninja's Tomonobu Itagaki has let slip that work has commenced on a fifth instalment in the Dead or Alive beat-'em-up series.

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Viva Piñata Tour Celebrates Hispanic Culture
   Microsoft will host the multicity tour to celebrate the launch of Viva Piñata for Xbox 360, as well as to provide parents with information about online safety and Viva Piñata-related educational programs for children.

'Blue Dragon' Goes Manga
   Microsoft clearly knows it's onto a good thing with 'Blue Dragon' in Japan. After a lackluster year for the console in the territory so far, the hype train is now grinding into motion for one of the biggest and - potentially - most important releases for 360 in the East. Microsoft is doing everythin...

Hacked PS3 hits eBay
   Comes with Firefox, word processing and games pre-installed.
A hacked 60GB PS3 has appeared on eBay with an open-source Linux operating system, Fedora Core 5, already installed and running on the console.

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Under The Hood: Inside The Nintendo Wii (TechWeb)
   TechWeb - Only days after tearing down Sony's Playstation 3, Semiconductor Insights went inside the Nintendo Wii, with its three-axis-motion signal-processing technology and 90-nm IBM Broadway processor.

'Path' Leads to Cell Phones
   Gamevil is set to release 'Path of a Warrior: Imperial Blood' on North American handsets. 'Path of a Warrior' is a fantasy-tinged action game, full of battle scenarios pitting your lone wolf warrior against two warring armies. You decide the course of the story by forging allegiances en route to one...

Wii Launch Hits Few Snags
   The 'wires' have been buzzing with the first reports from the Wii launch in the States. In comparison to the PS3 release, which was accompanied by masked robberies, drive-by shootings (with BB guns) and muggings, the Wii's electronic birth seemed a much friendlier affair. The build up to the launch...

'Live' and Direct
   Electronic Arts' mobile division announced this week that 'NBA Live 07' is now available on North American handsets. The 3D edition of 'NBA Live 07' contains all 30 NBA teams and over 400 players. Marv Albert assists with digital commentary....

Masked Gunmen Steal PS3s
   California police are attempting to track down two hooded gunmen wanted for the robbery of an Elk Grove game store and stealing the entirety of their PS3 supply. The suspects casually walked into a GameStop store early Thursday morning toting guns, and casually walked out with several PS3s and four...

'Sneak King' Sneaks Out Early
   In perhaps the most spectacular news of the week, a trio of Burger King Xbox 360 titles have made their way into the hands of consumers a little early. 'Sneak King,' 'Pocket Bike Racer,' and 'Big Bumpin'' aren't supposed to be available until Sunday, November 19. However, while playing review copies...

Nintendo Confirms DVD Wii for '07
   Earlier this week, we posted a story regarding plans for a DVD-enabled version of the Wii. Today, Nintendo Japan made its first official comment on the unexpected turn of events. Nintendo confirmed via a Q&A at its official website that it will release a higher end version of the Wii in the later h...

Senator Tries Cutting PS3 Launch Line?
   The Associated Press is reporting that former Vice Presidential candidate and 2008 Presidential hopeful John Edwards attempted to use his influence to get a PlayStation 3 at Wal-Mart. On Thursday, a staff member from Edwards' office contacted a Wal-Mart in Raleigh, North Carolina. The staffer identi...

FBI Shuts Down MMO Piracy Ring
   NCsoft has announced that, through the cooperation of the FBI, a major software pirating organization has been shut down. After several raids in cities across the country, FBI agents closed down an operation called L2Extreme, which provided unauthorized access to the persistent online RPG 'Lineage I...

Download PSP Demos On the 'Spot'
   Sony has unveiled several new marketing campaigns designed to extend the momentum of its handheld system, the PlayStation Portable, into 2007. Among these new efforts is a television ad campaign titled 'Find Me,' an online marketing campaign, and the presence of new PSP Spot Download Stations at sel...

Noesis Interactive Offers Student Discount for Mod Your World
   

GameCareerGuide Adds 'Ask The Experts' Column
   

Gamasutra sister site Game Career Guide is adding a regular 'Ask The Experts' column, with prominent game professionals being quizzed by Game Developer magazine's Jill Duffy to answer your questions, and is asking for submissions.

Upcoming PSP releases...
   Here's a list, courtesy of IGN, of upcoming PSP games being released. The following games are being released through the 2006 holiday season.

November 21, 2006
Tony Hawk's Project 8
Thrillville

November 28, 2006
Online Chess Kingdoms
Justice League Heroes
Shrek Smash n' Crash Racing
Puzzle Scape
Sims 2 Pets, The

December 4, 2006
Metal Slug Anthology
Blitz: The League Overtime

December 5, 2006
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas
Brothers in Arms D-Day
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
Star Wars: Lethal Alliance

December 12, 2006
Bubble Bobble Evolution

For a complete list of games through the 2007 year, click HERE

Nintendo's Wii Joins Console Wars (PC World)
   PC World - This game box offers online service, simpler controls to entice new players.

Sony PlayStation Mania in Full Gear (NewsFactor)
   NewsFactor - Stores across the U.S. sold out of Sony's new PlayStation 3 video game console in a matter of minutes on Friday. 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.

Companies pursue game console supremacy (AP)
   

AP - The game-console war is officially under way with the sold-out launches of Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii, but there are still a lot of battles to fight — and dragons to slay.

New machines make slots a multiplayer game (Reuters)
   Reuters - Slot machine makers, keen to find a new selling point for a traditional game, are trying to increase the social aspect of slots by linking up machines so players can share payouts and the thrill of winning.

Shoppers Snapped Up Nintendo Wii (NewsFactor)
   NewsFactor - Retailers selling Nintendo's Wii on Sunday saw throngs of shoppers clamoring for the video game console in a scene reminiscent of last week's response to the PlayStation 3 launch in the U.S.

Companies pursue game console supremacy (AP)
   

AP - The game-console war is officially under way with the sold-out launches of Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii, but there are still a lot of battles to fight — and dragons to slay.

Rise of the Witch-King: New shots
   12 fresh battle screens from the Battle for Middle-earth II expansion.
Wraps yourselves in evil's cloak to celebrate the arrival of new screenshots from Rise of the Witch-King. Obviously, feel free to emit an evil cackle into the bargain. We are - mwahahahahahaha...



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English PS3 back-compat list
   The official list of faulty games goes live in US.
The US version of Sony's PS3 backwards compatibility website is now open, so we English-speaking types can now find out which of the games in Sony's back-catalogue of thousands run into problems when played on the PS3.

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Gears of War PC rumours re-emerge
   Mag scan suggests a PC conversion for Epic's seminal 360 shooter.
Speculation that Epic's Xbox 360 action, erm, epic is hitting PC is back in the limelight thanks to the appearance on the 'net of an image allegedly scanned from PC Gamer mag.

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Wii storms US - full report
   US gamers flocked to buy Wii yesterday. Full details inside.
Nintendo execs will be chinking wine glasses together after the hugely successful launch of the Wii in US yesterday, with consoles and even accessories completely selling out everywhere.

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Calm, satisfied customers welcome Wii system (USATODAY.com)
   USATODAY.com - Another video game system arrived to long lines at stores, but more customers went home satisfied Sunday clutching a new Nintendo Wii. The $250 Wii joins more expensive competitors, the Sony PlayStation 3 ($500-$600), which quickly sold out when launched Friday, and the year-old Microsoft Xbox 360 ($300-$400), in a battle of the next generation game systems.

Wii LOVE the Virtual Console
   Even before the US release of the Wii, users were able to buy Wii Points and download games for consoles of the past. Here is breakdown of the pricing:

• NES - 500 Wii Points, or $5.00


• SNES - 800 Wii Points, or $8.00


• Sega Genesis - 800 Wii Points, or $8.00


• Gamecube - 1,000 Wii Points, or $10.00


• Turbo Grafx 16 - 600 Wii Points, or $6.00