On Tuesday the show was taken off the air and the staff involved fired, though the radio station now faces a wrongful death lawsuit from the victim's family.

Supreme Commander Goes Gold 11:19 am - Andrew Burnes - Games: Real-Time Strategy (5 comments)
It's true, SupCom has gone gold and will be out on February 20th:

THQ Inc. today announced that Supreme Commander, developed by critically acclaimed Real-Time Strategy designer Chris Taylor and Gas Powered Games, has reached the gold master stage of development and is now entering manufacturing. Supreme Commander offers unprecedented scope and scale, superior RTS command and control and three unique single player campaigns. Developed for Windows PC, the game is scheduled to ship to retail outlets worldwide on February 20.

"Supreme Commander is pushing the boundaries with its massive size and scale, delivering an innovative gameplay experience that advances the genre tremendously," said Kelly Flock, executive vice president of worldwide publishing, THQ. "THQ is leading the industry in strategy games, and on February 20th gamers everywhere will be able to experience the ultimate in strategic conquest."

"Supreme Commander delivers the first-ever full Theatre of War zoom function, adding tremendous depth to the three story-driven campaigns and highly addictive multiplayer," said Chris Taylor, creative director and CEO, Gas Powered Games. "We've taken RTS gameplay to a whole new level and I can't wait for fans to get their hands on it."

Boom Boom Rocket Screenshots 10:29 am - Andrew Burnes - Consoles: Xbox 360 (6 comments)
First screenshots of Bizarre Creation's "Geometry Wars with fireworks" Xbox Live Arcade title:

Oblivion: Shivering Isles Screenshots 10:25 am - Andrew Burnes - Games: Action / Roleplaying (13 comments)
Hit the forum thread for more Shivering Isles info:

The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles - Frequently Asked Questions

When will Shivering Isles be available?

The worldwide release will be this Spring. We'll announce the specific release date as we get closer to release.

Is it just for PC, or for Xbox 360 too?

Shivering Isles will be available for both Windows and Xbox 360. The Windows version will only be available in stores. The Xbox 360 version will be available for download via Xbox Live. A retail version is not possible for the 360 at this time. Both versions will be released simultaneously, worldwide.

Is this just another gate to Oblivion like the ones in the main quest?

No. Oblivion is made of lots of planes, one for each Daedric Prince. Oblivion featured the fiery realm of Mehrunes Dagon. The Shivering Isles is the realm of Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness. It's a place unlike anything you've seen in Oblivion.

How big is Shivering Isles?

Shivering Isles is about � the size Cyrodiil, where Oblivion takes place.

How many hours of gameplay should I expect?

About 30 hours of new content, including an all new main quest -- in addition to miscellaneous quests you can complete, lots of landscape to explore, dungeons to discover, etc.

Bill Roper Interview 10:20 am - Andrew Burnes - Games: Action / Roleplaying (5 comments)
This GameSpot interview with Bill Roper pretty much confirms that there'll be a subscription-based Hellgate: London multiplayer mode alongside the standard multiplayer stuff talked about during the project's development:

GameSpot: What are the plans for the multiplayer component of Hellgate: London? Will there be free multiplayer gameplay? Are there plans for some kind of subscription content? If so, what would be the difference between free and subscription multiplayer?

Bill Roper: We have always had the intention of providing rich, robust, massively multiplayer online gaming experiences for our players. This means that we will be providing everything from a secure client/server infrastructure to 24/7 customer support to maintaining a complete live team to provide not only balance and bug fixes, but more importantly, continuing, ongoing content updates to the game. And while we are still finalizing the commercial and game aspects of our online plans, we can tell players that there will definitely be significant free online play.

Download Windows Vista, Legally 10:19 am - Andrew Burnes - Games: General News (3 comments)
Microsoft have just announced that they'll be digitally distributing Windows Vista:

"With the consumer launch of Windows Vista so close, we're excited to announce three new ways to make the purchase and upgrade experience easier than ever," said Microsoft marketing manager Brad Brooks.

The Anytime option will enable people to upgrade their Windows operating systems to Vista online directly from Microsoft or its authorized partners, according to Microsoft.

Suggest prices for upgrades ranged from 79 dollars (US) to 199 dollars, depending on which editions of the software are involved.

Anytime online upgrades will be available in Europe, Japan, Canada and the United States at www.windowsanytimeupgrade.com when Vista debuts at the end of January, Microsoft said.

So no Vista Ultimate Edition download? Weak.

RoboBlitz Postmortem 10:04 am - Andrew Burnes - Games: Action / Strategy (0 comments)
Up on Gamasutra is a look back at the game's development to see what went right, and what went wrong. Here's a bit of wrong:

Building a game based entirely on physics is difficult. Building a fun game based entirely on physics is OMGWTFBBQ difficult! The problem we encountered was that reality just wasn't very entertaining, so we were constantly balancing between "real" physics and "fun" physics.

One example is the way Blitz drives - it took weeks to balance the programming and tweak the parameters so that he'd drive as smoothly as he does now. He still doesn't move around like Mario, but in a game where everything is physical, that's just not possible.

Blitz's grabby arms were another sore spot. We re-wrote the code 14 times until we came up with something that was user-friendly and enjoyable. The key there came down to building several A.I. heuristics into Blitz's grabby routine. He'll actually auto-adjust his alignment to pick things up better, and if something is too low for him, he'll bend down just the right amount to pick it up. We decided to implement this feature because it's just not fun for the player to have to do everything manually. We believe using A.I. to drive physical animation is going to be the future of procedurally animated games, but we didn't realize it until late in the development process and it cost us quite some time.

New Today On Xbox Live 10:02 am - Andrew Burnes - Consoles: Xbox 360 (0 comments)
If you've got Xbox Live Gold log on to the service to access a number of new play things:

• Battlestations: Midway Multiplayer Demo - Be one of the first to experience a new style of online warfare. Featuring massive Xbox Live battles with over 100 fully controllable warships, aircraft and submarines, each player can take full command of a fleet of units and fight cooperatively with their team-mates in the greatest sea battles of WWII. Prepare for war on a totally new scale! [PC Demo out toward the end of the month]

• Call of Duty 3 Valor Map Pack - Five all-new Call of Duty 3 multiplayer maps for online, split-screen, and System Link play! Battle it out in abandoned prison camp in Stalag 23. Engage in epic house-to-house fighting in a rural French village in La Bourgade. Navigate the battered warehouses and naval machinery of an oceanfront shipyard in Ironclad. Launch an all-out assault across a battleground choke point in The Crossing. Take cover in the thick trees and overgrowth of a mountaintop listening post in Wildwood. [800 points and a bug]

• Heavy Weapon - Sure, you can defend our way of life for free. For a while. But if you're serious about liberty and committed to dealing out gigajoules of destructive power, there's only one way to go. Buy Heavy Weapon now! [Xbox Live Arcade title; 800 points]

Dystopia Version 1 Screenshots & Info 10:00 am - Andrew Burnes - Games: Action (0 comments)
Dystopia is a class-based mutliplayer Half-Life 2 mod that mixes Team Fortress-esque action with Tron style cyberspace hacking, and now the Dystopia team is about to release Version 1 of their mod that has been pimped out by Valve as hot stuff.

To celebrate this upcoming release a mountain of screenshots and info has been posted on their website, which you can check out here.

Battlefield 2142: Northern Strike Revealed 10:00 am - Andrew Burnes - Games: Action (9 comments)
Planet Battlefield tonight has info on Northern Strike, the first of many (I presume) Booster Packs for Battlefield 2142:

The PAC (Pan Asian Coalition) has secretly moved into northern and central Europe, using abandoned urban areas to establish new strongholds. Intense close-quarters warfare awaits the EU forces when they mobilize troops for a full-force assault to claim back their land. The Battlefield 2142: Northern Strike™ Booster Pack brings all-out infantry-focused battles into new snow-covered battlegrounds across Europe.

Three new maps provide the setting for the Booster Pack. High up in the Alps the EU uses launch pods to launch an assault on a PAC Titan docking harbour on the map Port Bavaria. Bridge at Remagen, the scene for one of WWII's major battles, is once again the setting for intense battles as both sides fight to secure the bridge. Finally, night has fallen when the EU launches their assault on the city in the Liberation of Leipzig..

Battlefield 2142: Infantry Storm offers an asymmetrical vehicle set-up with one new vehicle available to each army. The heavy IFV Goliath is a massive, slow-moving firing platform available to the EU, the attacking side, only. It is used to provide cover, as well as health and ammunition, to nearby infantrymen. The fast-moving hovering light IFV Speeder, available to the defending PAC only, is an efficient vehicle killer when staffed by a well coordinated pilot/gunner team.

The above is the content hinted at at an earlier date.

Update: The official Battlefield site now carries word of the expansion and reveals that a beta test will be conducted in the near future.

Warhammer Online Screenshots 02:00 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: MMOG (16 comments)
A smattering of new Warhammer Online nudies, Mythic's forthcoming massively-multi-player RPG:

(Click to Enlarge!)

Thanks Warhammer Vault.

Hardware & Tech Nuggets 01:15 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - hardware: General News (0 comments)

Cooling


• Spire VertiCool 3 Heatpipe CPU Cooler - Tweaknews

  Pads
  

• Func F10.S Large Mouse Pad - techPowerUp

  Video
  

• BFGTech GeForce 8800 GTX Water Cooled Edition - [H]
• XFX GeForce 7600 GT Fatal1ty Edition - Guru3D
• The Silent XFX Fatal1ty GeForce 7600GT - HWUpgrade

RPG Vault Goodness 01:03 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: Role-Playing (0 comments)

The Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean Interview - Part 2
More from Nihon Falcom and Microvision on the PSP adaptation of the third title in the celebrated Gagharv Trilogy

Heavy Duty Media #6
In our latest vignette from Primal's amalgam of strategy and action, a downed alien spacecraft still poses a danger - Five exclusive screenshots

Game Reviews 12:47 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: General News (3 comments)

PC

• Sam & Max Episode 2 - 3DAvenue - 4/5

  360
  

• Heavy Weapon - Team Xbox - 8.3/10
• Heavy Weapon - GameSpot - 7.9/10
• Heavy Weapon - Killer Betties - 4/5
• Lost Planet - Game Revolution - B+
• Lost Planet - Game Informer - 8.25/10
• Lost Planet - Boost Mobile Gaming - 74%
• Lost Planet - Worthplaying - 8.2/10
• NCAA March Madness 07 - TeamXbox - 7.3/10

  Wii
  

• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Gameslave - 9.5/10
• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - ActionTrip - 94%

  PS2
  

• NCAA March Madness 07 - PS2.IGN - 5.9/10

In Other News... 12:30 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - In-House: In Other News... (23 comments)
After a three month hiatus I managed to drag myself to the gym last night. 30 minutes into the cardio I came to the conclusion I need to get an ipod or something. Those Zunie thing-a-mah-jingers look kind of neat too, but perhaps a bit too big to drag around a gym. Suggestions?

Today's question:

If you could get any band to do the soundtrack of a game, who would you pick and why?

The Sequels we'd love to see feature was pretty well received (the front page Slashdot love was a nice suprise) and I plan to do more stuff like that in the future. It'll be another week or so though, as we have a C&C; 3 hands-on preview and World of WarCraft: The Burning Crusade review coming up shortly.

Let's face it, there are a ton of great PC games out there that never got much in the way of sequel love. In today's over-saturated market of World War II clones, there are bound to be a few great gems from the past that we can revive. Back in the day, consoles didn't have much power, so the cross-platform market just wasn't there. That definitely isn't the case today. The potential customer base is massive.

Some of the rights to the games listed below are owned by dead publishers; others by publishers who just wanted them dead. Here are some games that need to make a comeback!

Which sequel is your most wanted? Vote on your right!

Best Selling Games Of December 04:49 pm - Andrew Burnes - Games: General News (10 comments)
A comprehensive rundown of the best selling games of December, in the U.S.A.:

PC:

1) The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack - Electronic Arts
2) Microsoft Flight Simulator X Deluxe - Microsoft
3) The Sims 2 - Electronic Arts
4) Medieval II: Total War - Sega of America
5) World Of Warcraft - Vivendi
6) Battlefield 2142 - Electronic Arts
7) Microsoft Flight Simulator X - Microsoft
8) Age Of Empires III - Microsoft
9) The Sims 2 Holiday Edition - Electronic Arts
10) Guild Wars Nightfall - NCsoft
11) The Sims Complete Collection - Electronic Arts
12) Company Of Heroes - THQ
13) The Sims 2 Open For Business Expansion Pack - Electronic Arts
14) Age Of Empires III: WarChiefs Expansion Pack - Microsoft
15) Civilization IV - 2K Games
16) Neverwinter Nights 2 - Atari
17) The Sims 2 Nightlife Expansion Pack - Electronic Arts
18) The Lord of the Rings: The Battle For Middle Earth II: Rise Of The Witch-King Expansion Pack - Electronic Arts
19) The Sims 2 Glamour Life Stuff Expansion Pack - Electronic Arts
20) Warcraft III Battle Chest - Vivendi

Xbox 360:

1) Gears of War - Microsoft
2) Call of Duty 3 - Activision
3) Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas - Ubisoft
4) Madden NFL 07 - Electronic Arts
5) Tony Hawk's Project 8 - Activision
6) Need For Speed: Carbon - Electronic Arts
7) WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2007 - THQ
8) Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Activision
9) F.E.A.R. - Vivendi Universal Games
10) Sonic The Hedgehog - Sega

Playstation 3:

1) Resistance: Fall of Man - Sony Computer Entertainment
2) Madden NFL 07 - Electronic Arts
3) Call of Duty 3 - Activision
4) Need For Speed: Carbon - Electronic Arts
5) Fight Night Round 3 - Electronic Arts
6) Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Activision
7) NBA 07 - Sony Computer Entertainment
8) Tony Hawk's Project 8 - Activision
9) Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07
10) NBA 2K7 - 2K Games

Nintendo Wii:

1) Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Nintendo
2) Madden NFL 07 - Electronic Arts
3) Rayman Raving Rabbids - Ubisoft
4) Red Steel - Ubisoft
5) Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz - Sega
6) Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Activison
7) Call of Duty 3 - Activision
8) Excite Truck - Nintendo
9) Trauma Center: Second Opinion - Atlus
10) Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam - Activision

Xbox:

1) Madden NFL 07 - Electronic Arts
2) Call of Duty 3 - Activision
3) Need For Speed: Carbon - Electronic Arts
4) Halo 2 - Microsoft
5) Thrillville - LucasArts
6) Tony Hawk's Project 8 - Activision
7) LEGO: Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - LucasArts
8) Scarface: The World Is Yours - Vivendi Universal Games
9) Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Activision
10) NCAA Football 07 - Electronic Arts

Playstation 2:

1) Guitar Hero 2 With Guitar - Activision
2) Madden NFL 07 - Electronic Arts
3) WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2007 - THQ
4) Final Fantasy XII - Square Enix Inc.
5) Call of Duty 3 - Activision
6) DDR Super Nova Bundle - Konami
7) Need For Speed: Carbon - Electronic Arts
8) Thrillville - LucasArts
9) Tony Hawk's Project 8 - Activision
10) LEGO: Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - LucasArts

GameCube:

1) Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Nintendo
2) LEGO: Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - LucasArts
3) Madden NFL 07 - Electronic Arts
4) Cars - THQ
5) Mario Kart: Double Dash - Nintendo
6) Avatar: The Last Airbender - THQ
7) Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 - D3 Publisher Of America
8) Super Smash Brothers Melee - Nintendo
9) Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning - Vivendi Universal Games
10) Need For Speed: Carbon - Electronic Arts

Overall Top 100:

1) Guitar Hero 2 With Guitar - Playstation 2 - Activision
2) Gears of War - Xbox 360 - Microsoft
3) Madden NFL 07 - Playstation 2 - Electronic Arts
4) Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - GameCube - Nintendo
5) Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Wii - Nintendo
6) WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2007 - Playstation 2 - THQ
7) Call of Duty 3 - Xbox 360 - Activision
8) Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas - Xbox 360 - Ubisoft
9) Final Fantasy XII - Playstation 2 - Square Enix Inc.
10) Madden NFL 07 - Xbox 360 - Electronic Arts
11) Call of Duty 3 - Playstation 2 - Activision
12) DDR Super Nova Bundle - Playstation 2 - Konami
13) Resistance: Fall of Man - Playstation 3 - Sony Computer Entertainment
14) Need For Speed: Carbon - Playstation 2 - Electronic Arts
15) Thrillville - Playstation 2 - LucasArts
16) Tony Hawk's Project 8 - Playstation 2 - Activision
17) Tony Hawk's Project 8 - Xbox 360 - Activision
18) Need For Speed: Carbon - Xbox 360 - Electronic Arts
19) LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - Playstation 2 - LucasArts
20) Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 - Playstation 2 - Atari
21) Madden NFL 07 - Playstation 3 - Electronic Arts
22) Scarface: The World Is Yours - Playstation 2 - Vivendi
23) Madden NFL 07 - Xbox - Electronic Arts
24) Guitar Hero 2 - Playstation 2 - Activision
25) WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2007 - Xbox 360 - THQ
26) NBA Live 07 - Playstation 2 - Electronic Arts
27) NCAA Football 07 - Playstation 2 - Electronic Arts
28) Bully - Playstation 2 - Take 2
29) S.O.C.O.M.: U.S. Navy Seals Combined Assault - Playstation 2 - Sony Computer Entertainment
30) Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Playstation 2 - Activision
31) Cars - Playstation 2 - THQ
32) Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Xbox 360 - Activision
33) Madden NFL 07 - Wii - Electronic Arts
34) Rayman Raving Rabbids - Wii - Ubisoft
35) FIFA Soccer 07 - Playstation 2 - Electronic Arts
36) Call of Duty 3 - Xbox - Activision
37) Singstar Rocks! - Playstation 2 - Sony Computer Entertainment
38) F.E.A.R. - Xbox 360 - Vivendi
39) Red Steel - Wii - Ubisoft
40) Sonic The Hedgehog - Xbox 360 - Sega
41) Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles - Playstation 2 - Namco Bandai Games of America
42) NBA 2K7 - Xbox 360 - 2K Games
43) LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - GameCube - LucasArts
44) Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz - Wii - Sega
45) Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 - Playstation 2 - Electronic Arts
46) Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 - Xbox 360 - Electronic Arts
47) Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Wii - Activision
48) Call of Duty 3 - Wii - Activision
49) Avatar: The Last Airbender - Playstation 2 - THQ
50) Call of Duty 3 - Playstation 2 - Activision
51) Need For Speed: Carbon - Playstation 3 - Electronic Arts
52) NFL Street 3 - Playstation 2 - Electronic Arts
53) Eragon - Playstation 2 - Vivendi
54) Need For Speed: Carbon - Xbox - Electronic Arts
55) Guitar Hero Bundle - Playstation 2 - Activision
56) FIFA Soccer 07 - Xbox 360 - Electronic Arts
57) NCAA Football 07 - Xbox 360 - Electronic Arts
58) Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning - Playstation 2 - Vivendi
59) ATV Offroad Fury 4 - Playstation 2 - Sony Computer Entertainment
60) Viva Pinata - Xbox 360 - Microsoft
61) Excite Truck - Wii - Nintendo
62) Pimp My Ride - Playstation 2 - Activision
63) Halo 2 - Xbox - Microsoft
64) Mortal Kombat: Armageddon - Playstation 2 - Midway
65) Destroy All Humans! 2 - Playstation 2 - THQ
66) Saint's Row - Xbox 360 - THQ
67) NBA Live 07 - Xbox 360 - Electronic Arts
68) Dead Rising - Xbox 360 - Capcom
69) Madden NFL 07 - GameCube - Electronic Arts
70) Fight Night Round 3 - Playstataion 3 - Electronic Arts
71) Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent - Xbox 360 - Ubisoft
72) The Sims 2: Pets - Playstation 2 - Electronic Arts
73) Happy Feet - Playstation 2 - Midway
74) Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Playstation 3 - Activision
75) Superman Returns: The Videogame - Playstation 2 - Electronic Arts
76) The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Xbox 360 - 2K Games
77) Cars - GameCube - THQ
78) Thrillville - Xbox - LucasArts
79) Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter - Xbox 360 - Ubisoft
80) Superman Returns: The Videogame - Xbox 360 - Electronic Arts
81) Trauma Center: Second Opinion - Wii - Atlus
82) Tony Hawk's Project 8 - Xbox - Activision
83) NBA 2K7 - Playstation 2 - 2K Games
84) NBA 07 - Playstation 3 - Sony Computer Entertainment
85) DDR Super Nova - Playstation 2 - Konami
86) SpongeBob & SquarePants: Creature From The Krusty Kunt - Playstation 2 - THQ
87) NASCAR 07 - Playstation 2 - Electronic Arts
88) LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - Xbox - LucasArts
89) Kingdom Hears II - Playstation 2 - Square Enix Inc.
90) College Hoops 2K7 - Xbox 360 - 2K Games
91) Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam - Wii - Activision
92) Mario Kart: Double Dash - GameCube - Nintendo
93) Scarface: The World Is Yours - Xbox - Vivendi
94) Avatar: The Last Airbender - GameCube - THQ
95) Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 - GameCube - D3 Publisher of Amerrica
96) Need For Speed: Carbon - Wii - Electronic Arts
97) Gears of War Collector's Edition - Xbox 360 - Microsoft
98) Elebits - Wii - Konami.
99) Justice League Heroes - Playstation 2 - Warner Interactive
100) LEGO Star Wars - Playstation 2 - Eidos

Next-Gen Graphics Roundtable 04:11 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: General News (7 comments)
IGN Down Under popped out a nice Next-gen Graphics Roundtable that sports an interview with some of the guys at Pandemic (and EA) about next-gen graphics. Here's a little taste:

IGN: Do you feel the promise of next-gen graphics were much bigger than what's being delivered? It's arguably only Gears that's seen a massive leap forward.

Kirk Gibbons: I think that it's not just the visuals. How do we use the visuals to provide feedback to the user? What about the AI? How can we use these visual techniques to provide more emotional feedback to the player? Next-gen gaming isn't just about the visuals.

There's also the complexities of the hardware - take a first-gen PS2 game and compare it with a latest gen title and it's almost as if there's been a next-gen evolution in those games. People are just warming up to this generation.

People are still learning. We are doing characters as we always did; We'd give our ideas to the lead artist and the lead character artist would come and say, 'well this is the time it's going to take.' And we would be like 'are you kidding me?' but then we'd go over the numbers and they'd be correct. People aren't prepared for the time it takes to create these characters - -

Adam Myhill: It takes almost double the time.

Supreme Commander Gone Gold? 03:49 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: Real-Time Strategy (13 comments)
According to Supreme Commander Universe, SupCom has gone gold. The game ships out on Feb 20th and will be in stores on the 21st in the States. Stay tuned for an official announcement later.

Crysis Still Just for the PC... 03:14 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: Action (10 comments)
Yep, those nasty rumors that Crysis is coming out on consoles persist to infest the internet, so Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli is trying to put them to rest for good:

"We hope we aren't disappointing anyone, but contrary to any rumours that may be in circulation, neither Crytek nor any third parties are currently engaged in developing Crysis for console platforms. Our company's sole focus at this time is to complete Crysis for PC as well and as quickly as possible, so we can release it in a timely fashion to all who have shown such a strong interest in playing our game, while insuring we meet the high quality of game play they have come to expect.

While we are gratified by the level of interest shown in Crysis by console owners and fans, and are of course interested in next generation consoles for potential future developments, it is the company's policy not to discuss future plans before the fact.

We hope that clarifies the issue and thanks to all for your interest."

Radio Station Sacked for Killing Wii Woman 01:34 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Consoles: Nintendo Wii (36 comments)
GameSpot is reporting that KDND 107.9 has sacked it's "Morning Rave" staff after running that Hold your Wee for a Wii contest which resulted in the death of a 28 year old mother. Also, it's been revealed that the station was aware of the dangers involved after all, and even made jokes about it:

The DJs had made comments joking about people dying from water intoxication during the show, according to the Sacramento Bee. There was even a discussion about a "poor kid in college"--presumably Matthew Carrington, who also died from water intoxication after a fraternity hazing ritual. One person dismissed the link by saying, "Yeah, well, he was doing other things." During the show, one DJ also admitted, "Maybe we should have researched this."

Two hours into the contest, a female caller, who identified herself as Eva, phoned in to warn the radio station that drinking too much water can kill. She said, "Those people that are drinking all that water can get sick and possibly die from water intoxication." One DJ replied, "We are aware of that," while another added, "They signed releases, so we're not responsible. It's OK."

Europa Universalis III Demo 01:00 pm - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: Real-Time Strategy (0 comments)
Paradox released a 127 meg demo for its upcoming strategy game, Europa Universalis III.

Snag yourself a copy from:

• 3D Gamers
• Computer Games.ro
• FileFront
• FilePlanet
• Gamershell
• Worthplaying

EA & Bizarre Creations Announce Boom Boom Rocket 07:39 am - Andrew Burnes - Consoles: Xbox 360 (4 comments)
Basil Brush's lawyers are already filing suit:

Electronic Arts today announced its launch onto Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade with Boom Boom Rocket. The game is a hypnotic rhythm music game conceived by EA's Pogo,com casual games design team and developed by Bizarre Creations, the developer who brought Project Gotham Racing 3 to the Xbox 360, and fan-favourite Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved to Xbox Live Arcade. The game is scheduled to go live Spring 2007 and is EA's first title on Xbox Live Arcade.

In Boom Boom Rocket, players trigger rockets to the beat of the music while travelling through a 3D cityscape. The better the player times the explosions, the more spectacular the fireworks effects. The fireworks are choreographed to 10 original tracks created by Ian Livingstone. Players can play in single player mode or go head-to-head against a friend on the same console.

"As one of the worldwide leaders in game publishing, EA has long recognised the power of on-demand, online entertainment," said Chris Early, Product Unit Manager for Xbox Live Arcade and Microsoft Casual Games. "We're honoured that EA has chosen Xbox Live Arcade as the platform for their first-ever downloadable game for console game players and are excited to make Boom Boom Rocket available to the millions of Xbox Live Arcade players around the world."

"Boom Boom Rocket is an addictive and original challenge for all types of gamer, and we're enjoying working with EA to create this unique Xbox Live Arcade experience", said Martyn Chudley, Managing Director of Bizarre Creations. "Our teams love both working and playing on Xbox Live Arcade, and we"re looking forward to releasing another innovative title on this platform with Boom Boom Rocket."

"This is a perfect time to bring such a unique and custom-built arcade game to Xbox Live Arcade gamers," said Chip Lange, EA Vice President. "We've crafted Boom Boom Rocket to offer an intensely fun entertainment experience for the thriving community of hard core and casual gamers alike on Xbox Live Arcade. It's only natural that our launch title comes from the Pogo team, given their remarkable success with casual games."

The game features three modes of gameplay: Normal, Speed and multiplayer head-to-head. Each song is choreographed into three skill levels to ensure that everyone can join in the fun. Successfully chain fireworks to fill the bonus meter and activate the psychedelic bonus mode for extra points.

Players can unlock new firework designs by mastering each music track. You can also utilis e the connected online element and see how their scores compare with other players on the Boom Boom Rocket leaderboard.

Nifty cool.

The Sims: Lapdance Edition 01:54 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: General News (5 comments)
The Sims is going to be putting a little smile on your laptop with The Sims Life Stories:

The first of these games, The Sims Life Stories, introduces an all-new Story Mode with two stories that follow the lives of Riley Harlow and Vincent Moore, two very different characters who have reached similar crossroads in their love lives. A comic romantic plot centered around engaging characters guides players through twelve chapters of this one-of-a-kind entertainment experience. Players can take their Sims through unique and entertaining storylines filled with romance, intrigue and dramatic twists. Will female lead character Riley ditch beau number one to marry and have kids with beau number two? Will successful entrepreneur Vince ever find love, or the culprit who's been foiling his heart-earned efforts to find it? Players can discover these answers and more, or enjoy classic open-ended Sims gameplay.

"Everyone loves a good story. The Sims Life Stories gives players two wonderful romantic comedies to enjoy," declared Rod Humble, VP Head of Studio for The Sims Division. "For those who are interested in The Sims, The Sims Stories are accessible and fun for everyone." According to Humble, the world of The Sims provides the perfect place for these romantic comedies to unfold. Built around virtual people called Sims, daily activities—from sleeping and eating, choosing outfits and decorating the house, even cooking and getting a job—are controlled by the player. The Sims celebrates the choices that we make in life. What's more familiar than being confused by life and love?

Designed to be laptop-friendly, The Sims Stories are accessible and fun for everyone. The Sims Stories are standalone entertainment experiences that do not require companion products from The Sims library - just pick up your laptop and play!

Top 10 Best Selling US PC Games 01:49 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: General News (5 comments)
Here are the top-10 best selling PC games in the US according to the NPD Group for the week of December 31 - January 6, 2007:

1) World Of Warcraft - Vivendi - $20
2) The Sims 2 - Electronic Arts - $36
3) The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack - Electronic Arts - $30
4) Battlefield 2142 - Electronic Arts - $50
5) The Sims 2 Glamour Life Stuff Expansion Pack - Electronic Arts - $18
6) Medieval II: Total War - Sega of America - $50
7) Deal or No Deal - Global Star Software (Take 2) - $20
8) Neverwinter Nights 2 - Atari - $43
9) MS Age Of Empires III - Microsoft - $49
10) The Sims 2 Open For Business Expansion Pack - Electronic Arts - $30

Hardware & Tech Nuggets 01:45 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - hardware: General News (0 comments)

Audio

• Creative GigaWorks T20 speakers - Hexus

  Cases
  

• NXZT Lexa Case - Motherboards.org
• Sunbeam 9-Bay Acrylic Case - ThinkComputers.org

  Cooling
  

• Spire VertiCool 3 Heatpipe CPU Cooler - Tweaknews

  Mice
  

• Logitech MX Revolution Mouse - Trusted Reviews
• Razer Death Adder - XS Reviews

  Power Supply
  

• Hiper Type M 730W Quad SLI Power Supply - PC Apex

  Storage
  

• 2007 HDD Rundown: Can High Capacities Meet High Performance? - THG

  Video
  

• ForceWare X Vista 100.30B x86 & x64 Drivers (8800 series only) - HardwareXL
• Gigabyte GeForce 7950 GT - [H]

RPG Vault Goodness 01:31 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: Role-Playing (0 comments)

Darkfall Second View
Set in the world of Agon, Aventurine's PvP-oriented massively multiplayer title with a skill-based character system

The Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean Interview
Developers Nihon Falcom and Microvision tell us about the story-driven title that will arrive shortly on the PSP

Jonric's Blog
Vanguard nearing launch, Tabula Rasa approaching beta

Game Reviews 01:30 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - Games: General News (1 comment)

PC

• Europa Universalis III - 1Up - 9/10
• Sam & Max Episode 2: Situation: Comedy - GameSpot - 7.4/10
• TES IV: Knights of the Nine - Atomic Gamer - 78%
• World of WarCraft: The Burning Crusade - Yahoo - 4.5/5
• World of WarCraft: The Burning Crusade - GamePro - 5/5

  360
  

• Star Trek Legacy - Killer Betties - 3/5

  Wii
  

• Metal Slug Anthology - Armchair Empire - 8/10
• Red Steel - Armchair Empire - 4.5/10

  PS2
  

• Bully - Tuscaloosa News - B-

  DS
  

• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Justice for All - GameSpot - 7.7/10

  GBA
  

• Rayman Raving Rabbids - 5.3/10

In Other News... 01:11 am - Robert 'Apache' Howarth - In-House: In Other News... (22 comments)
I hope you guys enjoyed the Missing in Action: Sequels We'd Love to See feature. Maybe we can post part two later on, as I did space out on a few I would've liked to include. Hindsight is 20/20, after all.

Today's question:

What cartoon would you most like to see a game made out of?