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Free Stuff: Level5 Backs Up Soccer RPG with Cool TGS Schwag
Besides a new Professor Layton game, Level5 also announced a soccer RPG calledd Inazuma Eleven. The game centers around a junior high school team that has gotten an exchange student from Australia. Original teams can be created and exchanged with friends via Wi-Fi. Players use the touch pen to draw lines for passing and tap the touch screen to shoot. There are a thousand-plus characters as well! The game features comical, unrealistic soccer moves like the "God Hand" in which a huge hand blocks the goal. The music is being done by Yasunori Mitsuda, who worked on Chrono Trigger before getting ulcers. While the release date hasn't been announced, TGS attendees have an opportunity to snag a demo cartridge that not only features Inazuma Eleven but also an original mini story Professor Layton and the London Holiday. Called "Level5 Premium Silver," expect this limited edition cart to be snapped up FAST! Level5's Soccer Game [Famitsu]

Not Anime: Professor Layton Gets Sequel, Live Action Movie
More puzzles and pretty pictures! At a recent symposium, Japanese developer Level 5 announced Professor Layton and the Devil's Box, the second entry into its popular Professor Layton puzzle series and out November 29th. With a theme song is by Japanese songstress Salyu, the game has players try to find Satan's box and solve riddles. Doesn't sound like a drastic departure from the first game. Here's the surprising bit: There are plans to make a Layton film. However! The movie will not be animated, but rather, live-action. The game has some truly beautiful animated sequences, and this decision seems somewhat odd. Level 5 seems invested in capitalizing on the multi-media aspects of Professor Layton. At the press event, Pokémon series producer Masakazu Kubo discussed the importance of movie, manga and online incarnations of Professor Layton — something he definitely knows about! The series has been a monster hit for Level 5. Now watch them run with it. Hopefully...

Do This Do That: Project O Gets Real Name
Bit hard not to get excited over Project O. Yasuhiro Wada (Harvest Moon), Yoshiro Kimura (HM & Chulip), Youichi Kawaguchi (Dragon Quest VIII) AND Hideo Minaba (art design for FF XII)? Oh my. My knees, they're trembling. Anyways, the game's coming along nicely, and even has a real name now! King's Story. Which fits, since you play the King, whose job is to roam the land giving jobs/orders to people, who will then just go off and do them. Think Black & White, but more cuddly, more adorable.Project-O Officially Named King's Story [1UP]

Large And In Charge: Tekken 6 Gets Chubby Dude
He's fat and he fights! Japan's Arcadia Magazine has revealed "Bob," a new Tekken 6 character. He's a martial arts genius who engineered his body to become HUGE when he was unable beat opponents bigger than him. After going underground to alter his appearance, a beefy Bob resurfaced. Other fighters didn't take him seriously, so Bob entered The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 to test his new powers. Hope eating's involved! He'd so kick ass.Hit the jump for another scan. Bob is New [SDTEKKEN, Thanks Mark1]

Everyone Loves BioShock: Aussie Sales Charts
Australian sales charts for the week ending August 26 are in. If you had money on BioShock missing out on the top spot, you're a SUCKER. It cruised right on in there, the 360 version at #1 and the PC at a none-too-shabby #4. And that's with the game only having been out for 2 days.1) BioShock (360)2) SingStar 90s3) SingStar 90s Bundle4) BioShock (PC)5) Pokemon Diamond6) Brain Training7) Mario Party 88) Guitar Hero 2 Bundle (PS2)9) Pokemon Pearl10) WoWNote: GfK sales charts do not include sales from EB Games.[charts courtesy of GfK]

Habla Usted Espaol?: Madden Learns Spanish
Madden sells a lot of copies, but it could always sell more. Which is why EA are, if Amazon and GameStop are to be believed, about to release a Spanish-language version of Madden for the US market. Called Madden NFL 08 en Espaol, it would be the first major game (at least that I know of) to target the Spanish-speaking population of the United States, and looks due on November 13. There are only listings for a PS2 and 360 version, which would make sense, this being a risky venture (November's pretty late, so bilingual Hispanics may well have opted for the English version by then). Retail Radar: Madden se habla espaol [Gamespot]

Double Dipping: GT5 Prologue Coming At "End Of This Year"
GT5's already been confirmed as appearing in 2008, but many of you lack patience. Your thirst for Gran Turismo is insatiable. Handy, then, that Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is coming at the "end of this year" (I presume globally, since I got this from both SCE Europe and Australia), as both a download and on Blu-Ray. It'll feature online racing, 40 cars and a PSN channel devoted exclusively to the game, as well as yummy, shiny graphics (1080p, 60FPS). Which means that, unlike previous prologues, which were demos for fools easily parted with their money, this one might actually be worth looking into. If you like your driving games to be the equivalent of a prolonged session of self-harm, that is. Which I do. Press release follows.Start your engines for Gran TurismoTM5 PrologueNew prequel an early taste of Gran Turismo 5 for PLAYSTATION3 - A taste of Gran Turismo 5 for PLAYSTATION3 is here at the end of this year - Up to 16-player online racing on PLAYSTATIONNetwork - a Gran Turismo...

: EA Is NOT Ditching E For All
This morning we brought word of a rumor stating recent addition Electronic Arts had dropped out of E For All. A spokesperson for the event has connected us, stating that Electronic Arts was indeed still attending. So even if the EA announcement was dropped from the E For All blog and even if the EA logo was dropped from the site, yes, EA will still be there. Fear not, you too will be able to play Rock Band. Well, unless EA drops out that is.

Giant Jeff Bell Face Says: EA Know Where Their Bread is Buttered
Jeff Bell sat down recently with Canada.com. X07 was in Canada, you see. Bell is Xbox's Corporate Vice President of Global Marketing. Which means he sure does love his Xbox!: In the case of EA, we just have an incredible partnership with them. Madden is not exclusive for us but they know where their bread is buttered. We will outsell the PS2 and PS3 version of Madden this Holiday Season combined. Buttered bread? Cocky! Dude's commitment doesn't end there. Viva Pinata Party Animals isn't some last-ditch attempt at shoring up a faltering IP - oh no, to Bell, it's something more substantial: As much as I love Viva Piata, Party Animals is our first true Mario competitor against games like Mario Kart and Mario Party. It's 53 games on one disk. It's very fun, very addictive and very youthful. Jeff, I admire your enthusiasm. Really! Might want to tone it down a notch, though. Mario Kart? Bit much.X07 Interview: Jeff Bell [Canada.com, via Game|Life]

Wrong: Screw Attack's Top Ten Ninjas
I don't think any of the Ninja in Screw Attack's Top Ten Ninja(s) actually deserve to be on the list. Sure, they're all good at doing whatever it is that they do, but come on, top ninja? You can see them! Top be a top ninja you have to start your training early, slipping out of your mother's womb in the dead of night to avoid being detected by the doctor's special "look at the baby in your tummy" device. Amateurs.

7 Day Trial: Play LotRO Free
A nice, week-long vacation in Middle Earth sounds absolutely lovely right now. I mean, they've got everything; verdant hills, babbling brooks, Misty Mountains, all-encompassing battle to determine the fate of the world...toss in some taquitos and I'm there. Right now you can take a 7-day trip to the land of hobbits for the low, low price of free as Turbine launches a free trial for their critically acclaimed MMO, Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar. Just head over to http://trial.lotro.com to sign up, wait out what is sure to be a massive, time-consuming download, and you'll be toking up pipeweed in the Shire in no time. If anything it'll be something to do in between periods of swearing you'll never return to World of Warcraft.PLAY THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE(TM) FOR FREE!Turbine Launches 7-day Free Trial Program for the Hottest MMO of the YearWESTWOOD, MA - August 29, 2007 - Turbine, Inc. has launched the official 7-day free trial of The Lord of the Rings Online(TM):...

Clips: PSP2K Playing Video and Games
newVideoPlayer("MOV01026_gawker.flv", 475, 376);Two videos, TWO! for the price of one. The first shows video playback on your television using a composite cable and the PSP2K. The second, on the jump, shows gameplay on the television using the same set-up. newVideoPlayer("MOV01027_gawker.flv", 475, 376);

Gallery: Science Goes Wrong In Dusk-12
Russian publisher Buka has unleashed a horde of screenshots from their upcoming FPS titles, Dusk-12. Developed by Orion Games, Dusk-12 tells the story of a small town where scientists trying to create the ultimate soldier keep screwing it up, creating hordes of mutated townspeople as well as rampaging cyborg monsters. Good going, scientists. Hit the jump after the gallery for more details on a game that sounds far more amusing than it probably is. galleryPost('dusk829', 4, 'Good Going Science');Buka releases new DUSK-12 screenshotsSome terrible monsters to deal withMOSCOW, Russia (August 29, 2007) - after successful presentation of DUSK-12 at GC 2007 in Leipzig and getting positive feedbacks Buka Entertainment is pleased to reveal new screenshots from this notable first person shooter in development at Orion Games.Experiments to create a perfect soldier failed and a small peaceful town turned into the evil den. The city is now full of aggressive mutants and imperfect soldiers...

They Call Him Flipper: Dolphins Join DS Pet Sim Genre
Come on folks, we've got to run out of cute animals at some point. 505 Games had to go aquatic for their new DS pet sim for November, Dolphin Friends, which features a rather Flipperesque tale of a young child befriending a cute little dolphin, only with the more realistic twist of teaching it tricks to make money instead of solving crimes like some waterlogged Lassie. Players will be able to train the dolphin, encourage it with petting, and feed it various foods (fish and...? Skittles? Small rocks?) in order to gain its trust, which you will ultimately betray by turning it into some sort of performing freak the other dolphins will laugh at. I highly doubt fin rot or dolphin/human love will factor into the title, though there is a comprehensive dolphin encyclopedia that makes up for those omissions none at all. galleryPost('dolphin829', 4, 'Love Will Lead Us');DOLPHINS DON THE DS, COURTESY OF 505 GAMES505 Games today announced another bolt from the deep blue with Dolphin Friends,...

Limited Edition: SingStar-Branded PS2 Announced
Riding the wave of SingStar popularity in Europe, SCEA today announced a new limited edition SingStar Playstation 2 pack. The white PS2 comes with a copy of SingStar Pop and two SingStar USB microphones. The pack is set to hit North America for $150 in the U.S. and $160 in Canada.Hit the jump for the details.FOSTER CITY, Calif., August 29, 2007 - Sony Computer Entertainment America is bringing a whole new look to the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system this holiday, along with an exclusive way to enjoy social gaming with family and friends. The company today announced plans for a limited edition Ceramic White PlayStation 2 bundled with SingStar Pop, the second release in the multi-million selling SingStar franchise, along with two high-quality USB microphones. The new PlayStation 2 bundle will be available in North America in November for a suggested retail price of US$149.99/C$159.99. The new limited edition Ceramic White PlayStation 2 features the same ultra-sleek design...

Art Of War: Call of Duty 4 Box Art
Finally we can stop using the game logo on black every time we do a story on Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Helicopters! Smoke! Mud! Running! Yep, this is a Call of Duty cover all right. For the PC and PS3 covers for the game, use your imagination. For the DS cover, use your imagination's crop function.

Clips: PSP 2K Video Walkthrough
newVideoPlayer("MOV01025_gawker.flv", 475, 376);This video is a quick walkthrough of the new PSP, showing off some of the external key differences like the new UMD loading tray, the new Memory Stick cover, the battery and such. I've also shot a bunch of comparison shots, including some showing the PSP versus PSP2K versus DS Lite screens' brightness. It's hard to tell, but the PSP 2K's screen looks a touch brighter than the PSP's.A couple of things from the press release:Video-out Port: Play and watch your library of PSP games, movies, videos and photos on the big screen. The new video out feature displays games on progressive scan TVs at 480 x 272 resolution, while movies, videos and photos can be shown at full standard definition (up to 720 x 480 resolution.) Component or composite cables required and available separately.The Daxter PSP Pack comes with a silver PSP2K, a copy of Daxter, the Family Guy: The Freakin' Sweet Collection on UMD and a 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo for $200....

Bioshocked: Big Daddy Is Happy To See You
An ambitious title like BioShock is bound to have its fair share of glitches, but Big Daddy here doesn't care about that. He's just really happy to be appearing in the game and getting a chance to meet you. Possibly NSFW, especially if you work in a nautical museum.

New Game Smell: Halo 3 Has Gone Gold
Halo 3 has officially gone gold. The most eagerly awaited title for a Microsoft console since Halo 2 has been released to manufacturing, meaning soon discs will be pressed and sleeves will be printed. Then each copy of the game will be kissed by angels before being nestled safely in its plastic case, spritzed with new game smell and sealed lovingly in transparent plastic. "This is a huge milestone for us and a big cause for celebration at Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios," said Harold Ryan, Studio Head at Bungie Studios. "This is the game we've always wanted to make and certainly the best game our studio has developed. We can't wait for gamers to get their hands on it on Sept. 25."I think I speak for most of us when I say it is perfectly fine to send it early if you guys really can't wait. We had plans, but nothing that can't be changed. Most Anticipated Title of 2007 Released to Manufacturing, Begins Final March to Xbox 360The wait is almost over. "Halo 3," the final chapter...

It's Coming: N-Gage Launch For November, New Titles Revealed
Nokia is just pumping out the N-Gage news lately, trying desperately to get people to stop thinking taco and start thinking global gaming service. They've just announced that the N-Gage service will be available all over the world this November, first in the form of an application that can be downloaded and installed in compatible devices and later embedded in Nokia mobile gizmos right out of the box. New games revealed include EA's Fifa 08, The Sims 2 Pets, Tetris, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour, as well as Crash Bandicoot from Vivendi and whatever Capcom has up their sleeve. N-Gage.com has been relaunched with a focus on the new service as well, along with a link in the upper right to reserve your player name, which will be the N-Gage version of a gamertag. I've already reserved Fahey, despite the chances of me ever having a compatible phone being close to nil. Can't have just any jerk playing under the family name. Just one specific jerk. Hit the jump for more details than would...

Ignorance Is Bliss: Rock Band Vs. Reality
newVideoPlayer("RockBandReality_gawker.flv", 475, 376);Rock Band may make you feel like a rock star...but video playback tells a different story. Even EA's industrial strength fog machines can't make me look good normal playing the drums. So much for my fantasies of snorting coke off a pair of perfectly spandexed roadie butt cheeks.

Hands-On: Some Menu Differences on the PSP2K
I'm still tinkering around with the settings and such on the PSP Slim that just arrived at the house, but I wanted to get a quick post up about some of the differences I've noticed in the settings and such.The game ships with firmware 3.60 preloaded on the system. There are a lot of menu differences but I found two in the system menu.UMD Cache: If you set it on you can reduce the frequency at which the system reads from the UMD.USB Charge: Allows you to charge using USB instead of a A/C.The system now also has a new menu in Settings that gives you options for when you connect your PSP to your television to either play games or watch a movie.Connected Display settingsSwitch Video Output: You can use this to display video on the television or you can hold in the display button.TV Type: 16:9 or 4:3Component /D-Terminal Cable: Lets you select either progressive or interlace output.Screensaver: Lets you set the timeout for a screensaver from none to 15 minutes.I still have to play...

Beta Watch: Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts Open Beta
More fun with beta testing! Starting tomorrow, PC gamers will be able to go to Fileplanet and download the Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts open beta, but how open is it really? From Relic's website:Starting August 30th, the Opposing Fronts Open Beta will begin. Anyone with a Fileplanet account can attempt to download and play the Beta. There will be key releases twice a week which will continue throughout the remainder of the Beta. I like the "can attempt" part. Interested to see how this all works out. I suppose I will log into Fileplanet tomorrow and give a go at testing out the next chapter in one of the best reviewed RTS games of all time. Wish me luck!Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts Open Beta begins August 30, 2007 [Relic]

Happy Halloween: Need For Speed ProStreet Date
October 31st is quickly becoming a very crowded release date. Timeshift, Naruto, Virtua Fighter 5 for the 360, Hellgate: London, the Simpsons game and of course Barbie Island Princess for the Wii. Now we can add another $30-$60 to our Halloween budget as EA announces Need For Speed ProStreet is dropping on the hellish holiday as well. In classic NFS fashion it is coming out on just about every system imaginable, with the PSP being the only notable absence from the list. Yes friends, that time of year is rapidly approaching, when the games we want begin to outweigh the cash on hand. The holidays are so depressing. EA'S BLOCKBUSTER RACING FRANCHISE SPEEDS INTO STORES THIS OCTOBERProve Yourself On the Highest Level of Street Racing Competition Against the World's Best RacersChertsey, UK - August 29, 2007 - Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that Need for Speed ProStreet, the latest version of the blockbuster franchise, will hit stores in North America on October 31...

Hands-On: PSP Slim in the House
The FedEx guy just dropped a white box on my doorstep, inside? A new Playstation Portable, the one that is 33 percent lighter, 19 percent slimmer and uses beefed up system memory to increase load times. The new PSP comes in silver white and black, the loaner I received was silver and good lord it's light. It actually feels, without the battery in it, almost like one of those empty cases used at furniture stores to make an entertainment center look more enticing... if furniture stores had some need of portable gaming systems.I'll be posting up some more details, impressions and side-by-sides in a bit, but I wanted to get up these pics pronto so you could luxuriate in the unboxing and see how it compares to the old PSP, the DS Lite and the DS.galleryPost('pspslim', 4, 'Dainty');

Nintendo: The Wii Bar Unveiled
Remember the bar Ashcraft posted about yesterday morning? The one that invited patrons to "COME IN & PLAY Wii w/ Mii on our 82" BIG SCREEN"? Unfortunately, all we knew about it at the time was that it was in Hoboken, New Jersey, which while interesting, doesn't really get our readers through the doors madly swinging Remotes in a drunken rage.Fortunately, Nintendo was on top of things and was able to track down the bar. It's called McSwiggans Pub and despite the vague Irish motif sells hot wings and features a plethora of specials including Karaoke and Martini nights. Nothing on their site hints on the Wii night, so perhaps that was a one off. Someone in the area really should swing by and report back to us.McSwiggans Pub

Super Smash Bros. Brawl: Behold, Andross
The head bad guy(pun intended) of the Star Fox series comes to Super Smash Bros. Brawl, now in easy-to-swallow assist trophy form. For the uninitiated, assist trophies are power ups that call a random helper character into play. If you are lucky enough to pull Andross, the giant face looms large, then slips into the background where he sucks in and then blows up deadly polygons at the assembled warriors. Bonus points to me for writing this post without one oral sex reference. Except that one. Damn. galleryPost('andross', 4, 'Things Are Gonna Come To A Head');Assist Trophies - Andross [Smash Bros. Dojo via GameDaily]

PS3: Warhawk's Jabra Headset
Warhawk showed up on my doorstep yesterday, and while I didn't receive a fancy pleather journal with it, it did come with the Jabra headset and a little USB charger. The headset feels a bit on the cheap side, but I'm sure it will work out just fine for the game. Now to find time to actually play Warhawk.

Live Arcade Wednesday: Puzzle Fighting On The Streets of Rage
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix has landed on Xbox Live Arcade, and it is everything you'd expect it to be. The game looks highly polished and crisp, with the odd exception of the actual characters you play who look like blurred versions of the same old sprites from the original PlayStation release. Still, 800 Microsoft Points is a small price to pay for SPF goodness. Joining it on Arcade this week is Streets of Rage 2 for 400 points, which proves that you should never make friends with Blaze and Axel because it'll only get you kidnapped. I'd be amazed if anyone returns their calls anymore. Hit up Xbox Live for demos of the two titles, or just skip that bit and download Super Puzzle Fighter.

Hells No: EA Balks at Idea of Episodic Madden
I wrote up a feature for the Rocky earlier this month on the latest installment of Madde. It was mostly a guide to what's new in the latest versions and how the developer continues to squeeze some semblance of originality out of an 18-year-old franchise. 18! So Madden is actual legal. Isn't that shocking?Annnnnyway, I did manage to throw the games producer, David Ortiz, off his game for a second when I suggested that maybe it's time for Electronic Arts to turn Madden into an episodic game. They could just keep a general build available on shelves for people who don't own the game and then every year sell a huge downloadable pack that adds in a bit of gameplay and new elements for the franchise. Every three to five years they could sell a new in-store version with a different engine or major overhaul. It's essentially what EA seems to be doing already, but for the full price. Ortiz wasn't exactly clear with his answer to the question."That's something we may explore in the future...

Night Note: "I Wanna Touch that Woman's Butt"
To: CrecenteFrom: AshcraftLast night we were watching the World Championship in Athletics, which is being held here in Osaka. Actually! I wasn't really watching (I was blogging!), but Mrs. Bashcraft and Mini-Bash were. Sometime during the pole vaulting, Mini-Bash goes:I wanna touch that lady's butt. (...) "Bwah?" His face got red. Mrs. Bashcraft asked him to repeat it so I could hear it (and could made fun of him). Face redder, bright radish red, but he repeated. For the next ten or fifteen minutes, Mrs. Bashcraft told the kid why he can never say anything like that outside of the house and that he can never touch some random female's bottom. It's inappropriate. And! If he did, he would be locked up in jail. For a long time. Alone. What you missed last nightSome awesome rumorsMost exciting thing at X07?Elite craps outHome beans spilled!Jessica Alba uses the Wii?

The Big Sell: Mark Rein Goes On The Unreal Engine Campaign Trail
The Unreal Engine's had some bad press of late. Which means a lot of people may not be thinking as highly of it as they once did. Which means a lot of developers may not be thinking as highly of it as they once did. Which is bad news for Epic! So Mark Rein's rolled up his sleeves, put on his best suit (not pictured) and hit the PR trail, talking up the success of BioShock with trade site MCV and how great the Unreal Engine 3 was for it. Smoothest part, though, is when he reminds us he's got a lawsuit coming up: We do everything we can to help our licensees achieve [good results]. Our door is always open for licensees who want to come and talk with us about their experiences and let us give them the best advice we can on how to take the most advantage of our technology. Nice. Real subtle, Mark, real subtle!Epic's Rein praises success of Unreal-powered Bioshock [MCV]

Close To Confirmed: Toyota Yaris Advergame Coming to Xbox 360
Consider this confirmation of sorts. There have been rumors that Toyota was involved with an Xbox 360 advergame for the Yaris, and an ESRB rating for a title by developer Backbone Emeryville fueled that speculative fire. Via game blog Siliconera, comes this Flickr find that shows the Toyota Yaris game is very real. Kinda hard to see what's going on on that monitor, but we imagine something with the Toyota Yaris. Think this is going to be free? I'd totally play it if the advergame's gratis. That, and if doesn't suck. Evolution FGC [Flckr via Siliconera]

Clip: This Winter's Top Ten Cosplay Ranked and Modeled!
Just as fashionistas follow trends, so do cosplay nerds. Here's proof! The above clip clocks off this winter's newest and most popular costume play outfits. Games get well represented: Pia Kyarotto Heyoukoso GO, Kin-iro no Corda, Tokimeki Memorial Girls Side 2nd Kiss, Kanon and Persona 3. All of the outfits above run somewhere between US $400 and $800! Personally, I find the mere concept that these ranked costumes are "in" totally and utterly FASCINATING.

Here Today: Are 60GB PS3s Extinct Yet?
60GB PS3s are on their way out. The US online store SonyStyle.com has run plum out of the 60GB consoles, leading to speculation that only retail units remain. The US $499.99 machine is listed as "Back Order," while the $599.99 80GB PS3 is readily available. According to a Sony rep:The online site has exhausted its inventory of the 60GB. They still have inventory available in-store, however, and other larger retailers and their web operations still have ample supply.Previously Sony announced that the 60GB PS3s would be available until they were no longer available. So potential customers snap up those remaining "cheaper" consoles while you can, because 20GBs more will set you back a hundred bucks. Don't you just love this pricing scheme? It's evolution, you know. Run Out? [PC Advisor]

Its Just Not Cricket: Pro Evo 2008 To Feature CHEATING
The gentlemen at IGN Australia just got hold of some preview code for Pro Evo 2008, and one thing stands out for me. The game now features "simulation". Or diving. Or cheating. If you're an attacker through on goal, pulling both shoulder buttons will cause your player to go to ground. Do it right, you earn yourself a penalty and a cheap goal. Get it wrong and the ref will book you. I don't like this. Not one bit. Multiplayer games just became a whole lot more...unsavoury, and if this feature makes it into the singleplayer game, and I lose a cup quarter-final to a diving opponent...I fear for my 360, and what I'll do to it as I boil with rage.Pro Evo Soccer 2008: AU Hands-On [IGN]

Offline: No Virtua Fighter 5 for Japan (Maybe, Perhaps, Dunno)
It's a numbers game. While the PS3 has over a millon install base in Japan, the Xbox 360 doesn't. Heck, it doesn't even have half a million. With 400,000 Xbox 360s purchased in The Land of the Rising Sun, no wonder SEGA is having second thoughts about releasing Virtua Fighter 5 for the Xbox 360. Sure, it will still get its fall US/Euro release. Lead designer Tohru Murayama explains:We haven't decided if we'll release Virtua Fighter 5 in Japan because of that. But if we [can only release the game] for the US or EU markets, we just hope Virtua Fighter 5 will be a key title which encourages people to buy Xbox 360s.The 360 version will include online versus play as well as other features not in the PS3 one. Not a good situation for Xbox Japan to have major third party publishers considering to forego domestic releases. Those Japanese Xbox 360 owners are probably dying to play VF5! Lack of faith, that's for damn sure.No Japan Release? [Games Industry]

Gallery: The Snazzy Warhawk Book/Journal/Thing
Sony just sent me a copy of Warhawk for the PS3. Remarkable? Not in of itself, but then it's not often my games arrive like this. No blank jewel case, "not for resale" paper envelope or simple retail box here, no, this is a mood-setting pleather pilot's journal, complete with "classified" disc enclosure at the rear. While useless as an actual journal (no dates, you see), it'll make do as an unofficial "art of book", since it's full of concept art, renders and screenshots.galleryPost('warhawkbook', 4, 'Warhawk Journal');

Full-Life: Gabe Newell Hints at New Valve IPs
Valve's got Half-Life down cold. And hey! That's okay 'cause we're not sick of it *yet*. But as good as HL is, how about something new? Honcho Gabe Newell hints at what they're kicking around at Valve:You know, if you get two Valve people together, they're inventing new games. We're just sort of looking to find out how much we can design. God, I would love to work on a turn-based strategy game, personally. Maybe we'll get around to it, but not a lot of people would agree. But our ambitions have stripped our ability to ship by a couple of orders of packaging. But I'm sure there will be some doing new worlds, doing new game types. Hopefully, the flexibility we get by going for smaller projects will let us be more experimental rather than spending half a decade to come up with a whole project.Well, whenever you figure that out, let us know. Because yes, we are looking forward to it.Gabe Interview [Action Trip]

Clip: Iwata Prank Calls Samus, Leaves Dirty Message
Easter Eggs, they're nothing new. But random messages from the President of Nintendo tucked away in a game of Metroid? Very new. And kooky. Above is a short clip from Metroid Prime 3, featuring Satoru Iwata's cameo appearance in the game. Don't speak Japanese? He's saying: Hello, this is Iwata from Nintendo. You may not know from an outsiders point of view, but being a director is really hard! When things are really busy and stressful we (us directors) may look tired and sick, then people may feel sorry for us! But in my case, it's the opposite, I get fatter and fatter, so then people don't think I'm stressed at all! Nothing to do with Metroid, at all, which only makes it greater.Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - hidden message translated [Go Nintendo]

Rumor: EA Ditching E For All?
Last week, the inaugural E For All Expo (Oct. 18-219 snared Electronic Arts as an exhibitor. And this week? E For All has apparently lost EA. Game site FiringSquad reports that there's doubt as to the publisher's participation as the previous EA exhibitor announcement has been removed from the E For All blog. What's more, the Flash-based revolving logo list no longer shows EA. To do a quick recount of companies that dropped out: Sony, Capcom, Sega and Microsoft. Namco and THQ still are sticking around, even though the rot has set in. And guess what! Konami has just confirmed it would be an E For All exhibitor. Well, at least this week. No EA? [FiringSquad]

Enough: British Sales Charts
Hey, Britain. When you gonna stop buying Harry Potter? Or Transformers? Flicks have been out for AGES, the hypes over. You can stop now. Aside from that, though, you did OK for the week ending August 25, with BioShock taking its rightful place at the top (with 88% of sales being the 360 version), a bunch of Nintendo titles taking up their regular positions and Blue Dragon doing a none-too-shabby job of making it to #9.1) BioShock2) Transformers3) Brain Training4) Brain Training 25) Wii Play6) Pokemon Diamond7) Harry Potter And The Worn-Out Welcome8) Surf's Up9) Blue Dragon10) GRAW 2[charts courtesy of GfK]

Totally Free, Dudes: Download the BioShock Music
For our three readers who aren't sick of BioShock posts comes this: the BioShock orchestral score. Best part? It's free! Like totally free. 2K is releasing 12 tracks from composer Garry Schyman's score. There's some really beautiful music there. Free, too. Giant Ken Levine face so approves!Download the orchestral score [2K, Thanks Matthew!]

On The Grapevine: GTA Batman, Okami On Wii & Milking Kingdom Hearts
Time for another round of Quartermann rumours from EGM. Ever wonder how accurate these are? You're so missing the point. These are for entertainment value! This month, three rumours, and they're three awesome rumours. Awesome, that is, if you like getting your hopes up, only to have them cruelly dashed six months later when you remember none of them actually came to pass.1) Okami IS coming to the Wii, and is an "upgraded port". I'd presume this meant 16:9, since that's all it really needs.2) There's a Batman game in the works that's very sandbox/GTA, and it's based on the current Batman film series.3) Square are about to grab Kingdom Hearts by the teet and squeeze it for all its worth, with spinoffs and prequels soon to be announced across all consoles.The first? We've been there before, so let's not get our hopes up. The second? Interesting. The third? INEVITABLE.Quartermann: Kingdom Hearts Prequels Coming [1UP]

Most Exciting Thing At X07?: A Blackout!
Yesterday, Microsoft hosted its X07 in Toronto. Hailed as the "Canadian gaming event of the year," X'07 was put on by Microsoft Canada and apparently didn't have anything nearly as notable as Leipzig or PAX. Reader Ryan attended, telling us that Halo 3, Assassin's Creed and Mass Effect were all in appearance. However! AC was the same build they were showing off at E3 this year. And the show's highlight?The biggest thing to come out of the event though was a power outage! The whole place went dark — Apparently, it took down the whole block. I guess throwing 40+ plasmas and LCDs, along with all the 360's to go along with them in a room draws a little more power than the venue was anticipating. I'm attaching a pic of the gamers, press and PR all standing around dumbstruck in the dark. The outage lasted at least 20 minutes, and at that point, many of us, including me headed for the door. There's only so much some cold salad and booze in the middle of the day when I'm...

Gallery: Sam & Max Season 2
Looking for big improvements or additions? A new graphics engine or something? Beat it kid, you don't get how things are done around here. Sam & Max's episodic debut was a big hit for Telltale, no way they're going to go changing things for Season 2. As you can see from these new screenshots. Same deal, new puzzles, new jokes. Like rats vs babies, and oldie but definitely a goodie.galleryPost('sammaxs2', 5, 'Sam & Max Season 2');

Wolf In Sheep's Clothes: Hey, Elites Crap Out Too
Just a reminder not to leave your Xbox 360 on all day in a plastic case. Not good for the machine! Rumors of better Elite performance aside, this must be the first conked Xbox 360 Elite I've seen. Bummer, because I quite like that sexy paint job. The platform's good fun, too. Shame about the quality.Dead Elite [thesportsfix, Thanks Laird!]

Americans Only: Call of Duty 4 Beta Tokens Going to Everyone (Almost!)
Did you register for the Call of Duty 4 beta? Good news! Those who registered at the game's site Charlie Oscar Delta (and live in the United States) will get a beta token. These tokens are going out in batches, but like I said, everyone who signed up (and lives in America) will get in. Foreigners and expats are shit outta luck. Well, unless you lied. Infinity Ward's blog spokesperson Fourzerotwo has posted this:We're going to send out congrats emails to all of you eventually, but keep in mind (again) the tokens themselves will be in waves. So you might get it today, you might get it tomorrow, you might get it later than that. So be patient, I know everyone would love to be in the first wave, but keep in mind this is a beta TEST, and this is one way were testing our servers performance is by ramping up slowly and tracking how it effects the game, playlist downloads, matchmaking, etc.Infinity Ward will be offering more chances to sign up so stay tuned! Beta Registration [Fourzerotwo,...