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Clip: World Of Goo
Kyle Gabler used to work at Maxis. Dude left, started up his own company, 2D Boy, along with Ron Carmel (also from EA). Their first game? This, World of Goo, which looks pretty special. Please, watch it.World of Goo Gameplay Trailer #1! [2D Boy, via TIGSource]

Rez, Bitches: Rez HD Coming To Xbox Live Arcade
At Microsoft's big pre-TGS presser in Japan today, some new and upcoming Xbox Live Arcade games were announced. One of them, you may find interesting. IT'S REZ. Rez HD, as it's tentatively called, is a shiny new port of the Dreamcast original, and is due in Q1 2008. Mizuguchi: We are excited to announce that Rez will be given a new life, this time in digital form. The game will be presented in hi-definition and will be accessible to thosewho did not have a chance to experience Rez the first time around. Personally, Rez has been and will always be a lifelong concept. I hope to take what I learned from the experience of creating the original game and look forward to taking it to a whole new level in the future. Rez in 5.1 on a big HD screen? Best news in a long time. Screens are in the gallery below, and you can read on for the to-the-point press release.galleryPost('rezhd', 6, 'Rez HD');Tokyo, Japan (Sept. 12, 2007) - Tokyo-based video game developer Q Entertainment, Inc. today...

His Arm Was A Cannon: Analysts Boldly Predict New Red Dead Revolver, Max Payne
Analysts love conference calls. It's as if they are bears, and the money-talking words of a group of businesspersons at a long oak table are sweet, delicious honey. They also love predictions. I love this prediction. Ben Schachter, Evan Wilson and The Pachter all agree that Take-Two will be digging up two franchises in the next couple of years. One is Max Payne. The other is Red Dead Revolver. That would be great! I'm a man who loves his Leone westerns, and Red Dead was just one long slightly-interactive tip of the hat to those classics. A current-gen sequel, where the gameplay actually matches the mood and setting, would be a winner.Analysts' double-take on Take-Two earnings [GameSpot]

Xbox 360: Lost Odyssey Release Date Confirmed
Sakaguchi just confirmed the Lost Odyssey Xbox 360 release date at the Microsoft Pre-TGS Presser. It's going to be 6,800 Yen on December 8, 2007 in Japan, January 2008 for other parts of Asia, and February 2008 for America and Europe. See the liveblog for more info.

Microsoft: NInja Gaiden 2 Confirmed
We saw the leaked screens this morning, but Microsoft just confirmed, in their presser, that Ninja Gaiden 2 is official. More in the liveblog.

Indy! Indy!: Capcom Funding Insane Monster-Hunting Expedition
Capcom have lost it. Least their marketing department has. They've announced that they're going to be funding an expedition deep into some South American jungle, manned by the nutty Centre for Fortean Zoology, with the aim of recovering specimens and/or proof of giant anacondas, which are rumored to clock in at 40 feet long. So, yes, a monster hunt. A Monster Hunt. In honour of Monster Hunter Freedom 2. Best of luck, gents. And I hope Capcom's funding extends to coverage should your entire team be eaten alive by a 40ft jungle snake. Press release follows.Capcom join forces with The Centre for Fortean Zoology [CFZ] on a real life Monster Hunt to South AmericaLondon - 6th September 2007 - Capcom is thrilled to announce a new partnership with The Centre for Fortean Zoology [CFZ] the only professional scientific and full-time organisation in the world dedicated to 'crypto-zoology' - the study of unknown animals. Capcom is sponsoring the CFZ on a full scale Monster Hunt expedition...

Contest: Use Red, Win Heavenly Sword
No. That is not blood. We hope. Reader Dustin not only wrote "Kotaku" in ketchup (lots of red!), but also wore a red striped shirt (extra red). We've got one copy of Heavenly Sword with fiery sword-swinger Nariko to give away. But, we're not just going to give it away. You've got to win it! Here's the contest: Red. Lots and lots of red. Take a picture with as many red things as you can squeeze in. Remember, be creative. Don't be afraid to leave your house to take the pics! It doesn't have to be just a bunch of products. Just think red! Because the most interesting/creative ones will be selected by the mean Kotaku staff as finalists. The best one will then be selected by Kotakuland. Deadlines for entries is next Thursday at midnight EST. Send entries to kotakucontestATgmail.com and be sure to include a "Kotaku" sign in your picture. You need a Kotaku sign. Good luck!Heavenly Sword [Official Site]

Microsoft Tokyo Presser: Microsoft's Pre-TGS Presser
And we're in! The place isn't exactly packed, but folks keep filing. Though, right now, I have an entire row to myself. Fingers crossed no one sits next to me. I need room to, you know, stretch out. The even starts at one o'clock which is in 15 minutes. That's soon! We'll be live blogging the presser once it starts. It's one o'clock, and the room has filled out a bit more. Some dude sat next to me, too. That bastard. The theme of the presser is "250 Titles. Which one will you choose?" Way better than last year's theme, "Do! Do! Do!"

Rob The Grave: Sierra Desperate For New IP
Here's a strange one. Vivendi are pushing Sierra to get cracking on new IP, which they see as vital in terms of competing in the console market. Sierra's Senior VP of marketing Al Simone: Next year, we're looking to bring original IPs probably at a pace that most third parties haven't in the past few years. New IP? What about old IP? Homeworld, King's Quest, Space Quest...that's where you need to be looking, not some new IP. Yes, I know, this is a backwards argument, since 9 times out of 10 something fresh and new trumps a tired old franchise, but not this time. The world needs a new Quest for Glory, and it needs it NOW.Sierra Entertainment Serious About New Franchises [AMN]

Microsoft Tokyo Presser: On The Ground
I've touched down in Tokyo, but doors haven't yet opened yet for Microsoft's pre-TGS presser and people in suits mill about getting ready. They should be letting us in shortly. Well, letting us into a lobby, where we'll wait until the event starts. Love waiting! Check back for our live on the ground coverage of the event.

Rumor: GT5 Prologue Priced For Europe
Dutch site Fok! are reporting that GT5 Prologue has been priced for the European market. Priced extortionately. 45 (USD$60) is what you'll pay for the Blu-Ray version, which if correct is bloody cheeky of them considering this is an overfed demo. Yes, it has 40 cars and some online shenanigans, but 45? That's full-price territory. We've contacted SCEE for clarification, will update when we hear back.Prijs van Gran Turismo 5 Prologue en features GT5 bekend [Fok! Games, via neorej @ NeoGAF]

The Rapping Papers: MTV Wonders Where Da Hip Hop Games At
With pop-rock games Guitar Hero and SingStar certified success stories, and Rock Band generating plastic instrument lust, MTV's Stephen Totilo looks at the chances we'll see a "Hip Hop Hero" emerge. He speaks to Harmonix's Alex Rigopolous and Get On Da Mic developer Denis Lacasse of Artificial Mind and Movement about the lack of hip hop games that involve actual rhyming and turntable skills.Sure, there's plenty of rhymes in Sony's PaRappa the Rapper and even SingStar flirts with a smattering of commercial hip hop. There are also no lack of video games starring mainstream rappers, as anything that starts with Def Jam features nothing but.But what about the games that measure rhyming skill? The one's that do it better than Get On Da Mic? And turntabling?Totilo unfortunately misses out on two games that do require some semblance of turntable skills, Sega's arcade game Crackin' DJ—successful enough to warrant a sequel—and Konami's Beatmania. While the latter...

Release Dates: Uncharted Sets Course For November
The hunt for El Dorado, the lost city of gold, begins this November as Sony officially confirms that PS3 exclusive Uncharted: Drake's Fortune with be hitting the US on the 20th of that month. According to GameStop's website, his puts it either on the same day or within a day of heavy hitting titles like Haze, Rock Band, Mass Effect, and History Channel: Battle for the Pacific, the latter of which deals with similar island themes, only likely in more realistic and therefor boring fashion. I know I have said it before, but this holiday gaming season is going to see me living penniless in the streets by January. Uncharted gets firm US date [Eurogamer]

Something For Nothing: Free (Temporary) XBL Gold Subscriptions For Halo 3 Release
Hey, Halo 3's coming! Just in case you needed reminding. Or weren't in the know. Furthering the marketing madness accompanying the game's release is news that Microsoft (in conjunction with sponsors Best Buy) is about to get charitable with their Xbox Live Gold pursestrings: the three days following the game's midnight launch (so September 25-27) will see everyone on God's green earth given a Gold subscription. Everyone. It's temporary, yes, and will expire once the clock strikes September 28, but hey, it's free. Let's see if XBL can cope with a million voices suddenly crying out...10,000 US retailers will open for Halo 3 midnight launch [GI.biz]

Business Casual: GameStop COO Says Casual Fans Are New Priority
Daniel DeMatteo, vice chairman and COO of GameStop, tells the New York Times that non-hardcore gamers are "playing a more important role" in the current video game buying demographic and that the company is "having to retool the way we think of things in our stores in terms of merchandising, layout and also customer service because it is no longer only the hardcore gamer walking in who knows exactly what he wants." It's unclear if DeMatteo finished the term "customer service" in relation to Gamestop with a straight face, but he does expect big sales of the Wii and the PlayStation 2 this holiday season, referring to the latter as the "one real value video game machine out there now."More potentially distressing to the hordes of gamers who hope to keep casual cooties away from their Square-Enix RPGs and first-person shooters might be DeMatteo's revelation that the retailer will be pushing music games in a major way. It's setting up dedicated portions of the store to games like...

Cat And Mouse: Eidos Puts Deadline on Hanna-Barbera
I need a truly great, next-generation Tom and Jerry game, and I am hoping that maybe - just maybe Deadline Games A/S is the developer to give it to me. The Total Overdose and Chili Con Carnage developer has just signed a deal with Eidos to develop new video games over the next three years, including no less than ten titles based on classic Hanna-Barbera studio properties like The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, the Jetsons, and the aforementioned cat and mouse duo. The new deal has Deadline looking to expand in a big way. They'll need it to develop a physics engine worth of my dream T&J title. If I don't get realistic cat-body deforming when Tom runs headfirst, mouth-open into a suddenly dropped ironing board, Deadline is totally fired. DEADLINE GAMES A/S CONCLUDES DEAL ON DEVELOPING TEN NEW VIDEO GAMES WITH EIDOS INTERACTIVE LTD.Copenhagen, Denmark - September 11, 2007 - Deadline Games A/S has concluded a major deal with game publisher EIDOS to develop new video games. The three-year...

Adult Situations: Sony Execs Talk Home's Adults Only Zones & How You Will Profit
The semi-unofficial Sony bloggers at Three Speech sat down with a trio of key Sony Computer Entertaiment execs—namely Jamie Macdonald, VP of Worldwide Studios, Paulina Bozek, Executive Producer of SingStar and Peter Edward, Director of the PlayStation Home Platform Group—to chat about all things "Game 3.0." User created content is a Big Deal at Sony right now, with SingStar, LittleBigPlanet and Home leading the charge. So, what can we expect from Home? How about adults-only areas?While the potential may sound saucy, Home's 18-plus zones will most likely be less randy than other unnamed online social networks, with Edwards riffing about stuff like casinos and mature rated game trailers being restricted to the kids. Expect less "Wild West" experiences, says Edwards, and more family geared Home socializing.The execs also touch on some of the economic aspects of Home, touting the potential for consumer-to-consumer exchanges via built in tools, including, for...

Clips: Team Fortress 2: Meet The Engineer
While I'd normally be content to shun "machinima", following Valve's impressively witty introductions to Heavy Weapons Guy and The Soldier, I now long for a Valve-produced feature on the characters of Team Fortress 2. Say, why not a Saturday morning cartoon? Based on the bar-raising intro to the game's Engineer, seen above, it's starting to become less of a request and more of a demand. Valve, I beg of you, at the very least include each of these cinematic mini-masterpieces on the game disc.

Liquor In The Front: High Stakes on the Vegas Strip Hits PSN Thursday
Sony is bringing high def, high stakes poker thrills to the PLAYSTATION 3 this Thursday, September 13th with High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition. Sporting six-player online multiplayer and five styles of poker—Texas Hold'em, Super Hold'em, Billabong, Tahoe and Shanghai—it's sure to induce some intense poker faces when it hits the PlayStation Store. The game features leaderboards and in-depth stat tracking, 1080p resolution for an extremely detailed look at face cards, voice chat and a fascinating spin on human anatomy.Players can shout "Go fish!" or "UNO, bitch!" for a mere $9.99 following Thursday's PSN updates. Who's in?galleryPost('highstakespoker', 4, 'High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition');

Indie Games: Luc Bernard's The Rose Princess
Luc Bernard is the mind behind the interactive fairy tail Eternity's Child, which is heading to the Wii and DS. After reading the story I posted yesterday, Bernard contacted Kotaku to offer up some exclusive details on another game he has in the works, The Rose Princess. At its heart, The Rose Princess is a story about a cello player and her rabbit, which seems cute and harmless enough, but then the details start coming. The cellist in question is found one day by said rabbit, lying amidst a field of dead roses (yes roses grow on bushes, but it's a different world than we live in). The girl is cursed so that everything she touches dies. Luckily her newfound friend isn't quite a living thing. No, Mr. Cuddles is a failed entertainer machine...a mechanical bunny created to sing and dance who can do neither. Before I continue, let me warn you that Mr. Cuddles is about to get a lot less cute. Being a failed mechanical creature, Mr. Cuddles was throw out with the trash, after which...

Coming Into Ports: Crack Down, E-SWAT Coming To Wii Virtual Console
Sega has announced a pair of upcoming addition to the Wii Virtual Console in the form of Crack Down and ESWAT. The former, distinguishable from the more recently released Xbox 360 Crackdown by its space and top down shooting/bomb defusing thrills, was originally released on Sega's System 24 arcade hardware.Similarly, ESWAT follows the arcade to Sega Genesis to Virtual Console path, but uses an Altered Beast brand of sidescrolling action featuring a super cop in a tubby exoskeleton.Both are 800 Wii Points (aka $8 American) and are expected some time "soon."

Exclusives Again: Namco Bandai Pulls PS3 Listings For Xbox 360 Titles
Some of our more eagle-eyed web surfing readers spotted on the official Namco Bandai Games web site "TBD" release dates for PLAYSTATION 3 versions of both Eternal Sonata and Beautiful Katamari. The latter also included hints about the rumored Wii SKU. Both titles are currently only confirmed for the Xbox 360. Not long after the stories on each title were posted, Namco Bandai hive workers pulled the listings for the non-Microsoft consoles, leaving only the Xbox 360 release dates up.Clerical error or something far more sinister?! It's hard to think "sinister" when one is discussing an RPG occuring in the mind of a dying Polish composer or rolling things up with a katamari, so we'll remain simply skeptical of the listings. Maybe we will know more after our trip to Tokyo next week.Thanks to our tipsters for the heads up.

Clips: Enemy Territory: Quake Wars Launch Trailer
newVideoPlayer("ET_LaunchAttract_5mbs_gawker.flv", 475, 376);Enemy Territory: Quake Wars feels like it has taken forver to get here, and honestly I had started to lose interest in the title, but the recently released launch trailer here has my interest rising anew. It reminded me about all the things that really matter in life: spaceships, giant robots, and lasers. How could I have strayed so far from the true path?

Mega Millions: Capcom Rides Wii Wave To Profit
Some developers and publishers may piss and moan that Nintendo dominates sales charts, making it hard for third-parties to compete on the Wii and Nintendo DS. Not Capcom! They're turning competition lemons into profit lemonade, as the company's stock soared to highs not seen since its Onimusha 2 days. With a stock value boosted by "expectations sales" for Wii games, Capcom is laughing all the way to the bank. Sales of Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition are expected to exceed the company's expectations, according to the Credit Suisse Group in Tokyo.If Capcom continues to be successful on the Wii, don't be surprised if some of your favorite Capcom franchises suddenly find themselves making their way to the waggle wonder.With Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and Zack & Wiki still to come, plus a rumored return of Okami to the Wii, now might be a good time to talk to your broker about snagging some Capcom stock. One should keep in mind that I have absolutely no idea what the...

Clips: The Simpsons Game: Grand Theft Scratchy
The Simpsons Game might be the best selling Simpsons game of all time—that is, if EA keeps pumping out marketing gold like this Rockstar Games inspired clip. I may justifiably hate The Scorpions like they were responsible for the murder of my family, but even I reflexively fist pumped to this new The Simpsons Game spot. Sure, the game may turn into a derivative putrid stew, but can you deny the power of this clip?

10-4 Good Buddy: Ratchet & Clank Future Demo Due October 4th
We now know the date of "the future." It's when Insomniac Games' Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction will be released in demo form via the PlayStation Network. According to IGN, we'll all be wearing silver jumpsuits, issuing commands to our personal sex robots and tossing back food pills while playing the PLAYSTATION 3 demo of Ratchet & Clank Future on October 4th, 2007. The demo will feature a playable version of the game's first level, the city of Metropolis, and, I presume, redefine awesome.See you in the future!Ratchet & Clank PSN Demo on October 4 [IGN]

Halo 3: GameStop Employees Fear Halo 3 Box Tape
As with any really huge game release, GameStop stores around the country are already receiving their truckloads of Halo 3 to be ready for the big launch day. Unlike other huge game releases, however, GameStop employees will not be able to rip open the boxes of Halo goodness and lick them, bring them home to play early, or take photos of themselves sticking the case down their pants. GameStop corporate has distributed an email warning that any employees who so much as nick the packing tape on a Halo 3 case will be fired on the stop. It covers employees from game advisors on up to district managers, and even accidental openings are grounds for termination. I can only assume this will be enforced via surprise inspections, possibly involving jackbooted stormtroopers. GameStop getting strict with Halo 3! [Rated-M]

Iga Trip: Iga Eyes Xbox 360 For Next Console Castlevania
The man who eats, sleeps, breathes and craps Castlevania, Koji Igarashi, sat down with Game Informer to chat about the future of the classic Dracula slaying franchise. With "IGA" and crew already hard at work on wrapping up Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles for the PSP and churning out another Nintendo DS sequel, one might wonder when the team plans to revisit Castlevania on home consoles. Iga says it's a possibility, but you might want to secure yourself an Xbox 360 if you want to play it.He tells GI that "I think the Xbox 360 would be the best platform for the U.S. market" citing the series' lopsided success stateside. Igarashi does, however, give PLAYSTATION 3 owners some hope, saying "As you know, Konami will release Metal Gear for the PS3, so Metal Gear might expand the PS3 market. In that case, we may release Castlevania for the PS3."The Castlevaniac also touches on staying true to 2D, revealing that, based on the performance of the PSP port, he may decide to stick...

Savings Extreme: Pre-Purchase Orange Box Now, Play Team Fortress 2 Next Week
Valve just announced that the "pretty big announcement" the company teased in its weekly update is the early availability of the multiplayer shooter that's sexier than Britney Spears' VMA jigglefest—Team Fortress 2, natch—for The Orange Box pre-purchasers. PC gamers will not only save five bucks by pre-purchasing the Half-Life 2 mega bundle via Steam, they'll also get access to the TF2 beta starting next Monday, nearly a month ahead of its commercial release date. The cherry crowning that delicious Valve brand of whipped topping is the tossing in of PopCap Games' Peggle Extreme, a pachinko-esque arcade shooter.Can you physically and mentally withstand this much value? If you need a moment to let the monstrous savings sink in, the press release will probably aid you in your quest.PRE-PURCHASE THE ORANGE BOX NOW, PLAY TEAM FORTRESS 2 BETA NEXT WEEKPre-Purchasers Also Receive Peggle Extreme!September 11, 2007 -The Orange Box-featuring Half-Life 2: Episode Two,...

Ken Kutaragi: ESA Crowns Kutaragi Champion
Proud papa of the PlayStation and honorary chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment Ken Kutaragi is joining the likes of George Lucas, Howard Lincoln, and Bing Gordon as a Champion Honoree at the ESA's Nite to Unite for Kids charity event, being recognized for his vast contributions to the gaming industry. "Ken's contributions to our community and the entertainment lives of ordinary consumers are extraordinary," said Michael D. Gallagher, president of the ESA. "His insight and vision revolutionized in-home entertainment, enabling advancements in creativity, technology, and innovation."Good going Kenny! Nite to Unite is a charity organization that donates to children's charities across the United States. This year's event is being held on October 17th in San Francisco. 'Father of PlayStation' to be Honored by ESA at Nite to Unite [GameDaily BIZ]

Hard Rein: Epic: No UT Delay, But No Guarantees Either
Mark Rein is doing a some damage control over his self-induced rumors of a possible delay for Unreal Tourment 3. But the damage control is just as open-ended as what he said to start all of our buzzing in the first place.Nothing has changed at this point...we're working toward a November release.Translation: No delay.Ahh. Phew. We were worried there for a second. Wait, wait! Stop talking! Noooo!We don't know the specific release date yet and I think it is always prudent to remind our fans that we value quality over release date. They've come to expect that from UT and we don't want them to think we're handling UT3 any differently.Damn. Translation: "We don't think there will be a delay, but it's coming down to the wire. And we also didn't think there was life on Mars and now we up in the air about everything."No date for Xbox 360 version [gameindustry]

Can't Look Away: Xbox 360 Chatpad Ripped Apart, Left for Dead
For somewhere around .09% of the populace, the first thing to do with any new gadget is to tear it apart and see what makes it tick. One ambitious consumer/modder did just that with the new Xbox 360 Chatpad (see our impressions here). Here's a list of things he learned about the device:- 7 connections to controller- Simple to open - Plastic was molded in July of 07And most interestingly, the "brains" Microchip PIC16F883 is easily accessible and looks "fun to hack." galleryPost('ChatpadStripped', 4, 'ChatpadStripped');Xbox 360 Chatpad Disassembly [via make]

Limited Edition: Call Of Duty IV Collectors Details
With less than two months to go until Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare briefly touches store shelves only to be swept up in a hype-driver whirlwind of consumer lust, Activision has announced details on the PC and Xbox 360 Collector's Edition of the game. Both will come with a lovely hardbound art book containing a slew of concept art and never-before-seen imagery from the development of the title. While the Xbox 360 version will also come with a bonus DVD with over four hours of interviews, features, and a documentary on the history of the British S.A.S, the PC version instead comes with a digital copy of the Brady Games strategy guide for COD4, because console players know the PC gamers need as much help as they can get. I didn't say it, the console gamers did. I am sure you can all work this out civilly. CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE COLLECTOR'S EDITION CALLED INTO BATTLESanta Monica, CA - Sept. 11, 2007 - Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced today that a Limited Collector's...

Havenly Pantsu: Heavenly Sword TV Commercial
newVideoPlayer("HeavenlyPantsu_gawker.flv", 475, 376);I'm not the pantsu expert that Ash is...call me more of an "enthusiast." But the new Heavenly Sword television trailer loves the stuff. We, of course, have grown past pausing during certain moments of Street Fighter II and have moved on for appreciating these games for what they're really about: hot, sexy violence. GameTrailers

Pachter Watch: Pachter Dates GTAIV DLC
Analysts aren't just for predicting sales figures and price drops. No sir. A good analyst...say, one of Michael Pachter's caliber, can utilize their magical analyzing sextant for any number of game-related prognostications. Take DLC release dates, for instance. Microsoft's exclusive episodic content for GTA IV was originally set to go live in March, but seeing as the game won't hit until possibly April, Pachter used his powers to deduce the adjusted drop date for said DLC. "We note that the USD 50 million deferred revenue for GTA episodic content was reclassified as 'long term,' implying a release date no earlier than Q4 2008," commented Pachter in a note to investors following publisher Take Two's latest financial results.He's a magic man, I'm telling you. Episodic GTA IV content expected late 2008 - analyst [GamesIndustry.biz]

Smack Talk: Eggebrecht: Wii Games Should Look Better
Factor Five's Julian Eggebrecht may have taken some knocks on the chin for Lair's gameplay, but not many were complaining about the unquestionably stellar graphics of the title. And that's pretty much enough for me to name him an unquestionable authority on every platform's individual graphical nuances (and anything else necessary for this article to be extremely important). Right now, Eggebrecht's questioning an industry that's all but given up on the Wii ever making pretty games:If you connect you can get a lot of shader effects which would've been on the 360 or the PS3...it's got so much more power compared to the GameCube. If even with the extremely similar shader hardware, the system clockrate is so much higher, you can do so much more advanced things.So why does he think games aren't looking better?Hmmm I don't know, the hardware is very, very easy to understand. Now the problem might be -and it just might be- is that some studios -or some publishers specifically- are...

Movies: TRON 2 Coming to Theaters Eventually
Tron 2 is coming steps closer to neon actualization, as commercial director Joseph Kosinski is in final negotiations to direct the film. The only other project on his list is the upcoming remake of Logan's Run, so it's tough to tell just how much he'll bastardize these original canons. The good news for Tron fans is the Steven Lisberger will be producing the film. He co-wrote and directed the original. Still, it's difficult to see Tron as a remake. Either the film sticks to the original 80s-rrific setting, or it's updated with Tron being some hero in GTAIV with Jeff Bridges participating in time races to collect prostitutes. One approach seems disingenuous while the other seems, quite simply, horrible. Then again, Tron was a pretentiously bad movie redeemed by incredible special effects and wonderful art direction. So it's not exactly Citizen Kane 2 that we're talking about here. New 'Tron' races on [thehollywoodreporter]

Music: FIFA 08 Soundtrack Announced
Are you ready for some football? It's getting awfully close to FIFA 08 time, and EA has gone ahead and dropped the soundtrack list for it's annual footie outing. This year the game will feature tracks from 50 artists from 27 different countries, including Algeria, Ethiopia, and Ghana. Looking over the list, which is posted in its entirety after the jump, I don't recognize a single song or artist, which is just all sorts of pathetic I'm sure. I only know that Wayne Rooney, pictured above with UK band The Hoosiers because I looked him up on Google. I can't wait for the comments section to fill up with, "WTF Fahey!? You haven't heard Cheb i Sebbah'sToura Toura: Nav Deep Remix? What the hell is wrong with you?" EA SPORTS' FIFA 08 MUSIC SOUNDTRACK SETS THE STAGE FOR INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL GLORYThe Hoosiers Kick Off The New Season With Second Single, Goodbye Mr AChertsey, UK., September 11, 2007 - International football and music fans are about to score like never before! Electronic...

Unlocked: Orange Box is Achievement Heaven (or Hell)
Valve's upcoming Orange Box is making quite an achievement in the realm of achievements by offering 99 different...achievements...totaling the standard 1000 points. It's the most achievements offered by an Xbox 360 game in the entire history of mankind. Even dating back to times when amino acid swamps were converging to build proteins—before we even had "life" as we know it—nobody put 99 achievements in a game. So what's better? A few bitchy achievements that give you a boatload of points? Or a million little achievements that are each worth nothing on their own? I prefer a multitude of achievements leading me like breadcrumbs through the game. Because that little Xbox beep signaling another achievement unlocking makes me salivate with the best of Pavlov's dogs. And it also gives me a craving for hydrogenated cheese. The Orange Box - 99 Achievements! [DaKing240]

Feature: Redemption in King of Kongs
By: Bob Denerstein Back in the '80s, when such favorites as Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Q-bert were being played in bars, I was busy with what I regarded as more appropriate saloon activity: knocking back enough cold ones to make a mockery of eye-hand coordination.Despite my lack of personal knowledge, I decided to check out director Seth Gordon's "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters," a documentary about men who play competitive Donkey Kong. You gamers already know most of the details: An outfit called Twin Galaxies establishes the standards, and various folks vie to break records on what the movie regards as one of the most difficult machines ever, requiring amounts of concentration that would challenge an eastern yogi.But forget all the game stuff. It's not the game that makes "King of Kong" so entertaining; it's characters in conflict. Sure there's a cast of supporting dweebs, but the movie boils down to a mano-a-mano Kong-off between Billy Mitchell, an arrogant champion,...

Pc Gaming: Guitar Hero III Rocks The Mac And PC
Rocking out with a big plastic guitar will soon no longer be purely the privilege of the console owning masses, as Aspyr announces an exclusive deal with Activision to develop and publish Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for the PC and Mac platforms this fall. Not only does this open up the game to a whole new segment of players, but if you've got a nice gaming laptop it essentially makes this the first portable version of Guitar Hero. On top of all of the regular features of the game, Aspyr's version will allow PC and Mac users to battle against each other in online multiplayer, perhaps allowing us to settle the Mac versus PC debate once and for all in glorious rock combat! Bring it on! ASPYR MEDIA ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH ACTIVISION TO BRING GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK TO PC AND MACAUSTIN, TX Sept. 11, 2007 The rock gods have spoken, and gamers around the world will now be able to unleash their inner-rock star on two brand new platforms. Aspyr Media, in partnership...

Gallery: Edge of Twilight Channels Planescape
Edge of Twilight is a 3rd person action adventure game for the 360 and PC that takes place in a post-apocalyptic world that combines steampunk and alternative fantasy elements to create something vaguely reminiscent of something out of the Planescape D&D universe. You might remember the name from Planescape: Torment, the best D&D computer game ever created no matter what you or anyone else says. For more on the story and setting, visit Edge of Twilight.com, which really drives home the whole Planescape feel of the title. Otherwise check out these beautiful first screenshots of a game that I will be paying a great deal of attention to in the coming months. galleryPost('eot911', 4, 'Day and Night Divided');

Downloadable Content: Guitar Hero II DLC Goes Multi-Platinum
Sure it's stretching the criteria a bit, but with 650,000 combined downloads across multiple song packs and three songs per pack, that makes...well, 1,950,000 downloads, but I am sure Activision took that into account when they put out the press release below, which boasts two million song downloads. I have to wonder how many more they would have gotten by now had they not released the packs with the ridiculous $5 price tag, but the $3,250,000 they've made off of the DLC so far is nothing to shake a stick at. Just ask Dusty Welch, RedOctane's head of publishing. "The Guitar Hero II downloadable video game song packs are some of the most popular content on Xbox LIVE and are quickly becoming a very lucrative revenue stream and powerful promotional vehicle for musicians and record labels today." Yep, we sure showed them. Overprice your song packs and we'll boycott them so hard you'll only make $3 million dollars. Take that!Guitar Hero II Xbox 360 Video Game Song Packs Hit Multi-Platinu...

Clips: The Witcher In Action
newVideoPlayer("witchergc_gawker.flv", 475, 376);This footage from Atari and CD Projekt's The Witcher is a pretty accurate representation of what to expect from the game action-wise. You've got your day combat, night combat, day walking, night walking, and just general hanging about looking cool and white-hared.The only thing missing from this extended gameplay trailer is hot prostitute action, but we've already covered that and there's no use beating a dead whore horse.

Crime: Correction's Officer Brags About Brutality On CoH Forums
One Portland Oregon corrections officer is in desperate need of correction, if his posts on the City of Heroes forums are to be believed. In a piece for the Portland Tribune, reporter Nick Bundick exposes the forum postings of David B. Thompson, which range from musings on the joy of tasering people to outright bragging about brutally beating a prisoner and then charging him for attacking him. He also wrote, "I crushed a dude's eye socket from repeatedly punching him in it, then I charged him with menacing and harassment (of me)." Trafalgar then added, "he took a plea to get away from me. He shoulda picked somebody else to try and fight."The article contains multiple links to CoH forum posts by Thompson, who reportedly only accesses the forums from his work PC, where he has posted 1,738 messages since January. A great deal of what Thompson has stated in the offending posts could be simple internet bravado, though the case of the eye-punching has been corroborated by police officials...

Multi-platform: EVE Going Online For Linux and Mac
No game has recreated the vast loneliness of outer space better than CCP Game's EVE Online. Now, thanks to a partnership with TransGaming Inc., the universe is about to get a lot less lonely as Mac and Linux users will be able to log in and shoot mining lasers at floating rocks endlessly by the end of this year. TransGaming is a company that specializes in portability products that allow for games to be ported across multiple platforms without having to redevelop. "We're pleased to extend our relationship with TransGaming, as the company's expertise allows us to deliver the most innovative MMOG to more platforms," said Halldor Fannar, CTO of CCP Games. "By integrating TransGaming's excellent technology, we are able to keep our laser-focus on evolving EVE Online, while simultaneously expanding the EVE universe to even more players."While Linux users can already play EVE using Cedega, the game will now be released the Windows to Linux converter built in. The Mac version will utilize...

Take-Two: 2K Plays With Nickelodeon
2K Games and 2K Sports have a new little brother / sister to kick around as Take-Two announces the formation of 2K Play, a new publishing label dedicated to causal, family-friendly fare. To prove their family-fare-iness, they've also announced a partnership with Nickelodeon to develop games based off popular children's properties. The first two games released under the 2K Play label will be Dora The Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! for the DS. "We welcome our new partnership with 2K Play," said Shaul Olmert, Vice President/Digital Media products for Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group. "This is the first time Go, Diego, Go! is coming to handheld and console systems and will mark Dora the Explorer's debut on the popular Nintendo DS system. We are excited to welcome 2K Play into our growing family of innovative digital products."I've not seen GDG (hip appreviation for children's program), but Dora seems like a natural fit for the DS. Finally we can poke that bastard Swiper right...

Gallery: Ninja Gaiden 2 Screens
Oops. For a brief, shining moment, a Ninja Gaiden 2 page appeared on the Japanese Xbox website, including nine dazzling screenshots for the title, reproduced here in convenient gallery form. The screens come courtesy of Spanish speaking site Todo Juegos (All Games), home of the itchy 'save-as' finger. Another surprise announcement ruined by shoddy website management! galleryPost('ng2911', 4, 'Way To Be Stealthy, Ninja Webmaster');Ninja Gaiden 2 anunciado para Xbox 360 [Todo Juegos]

Clips: Invisible Tetris
We received a couple of tips about this insane Tetris video, all pointing us back to NeoGaf. Check out, in particular, the last minute or so, when the game goes invisible. Insane.Invisible Tetris [Neo Gaf]

Free Stuff: Get Yer New New New New Wii-Straps For Free
For those still flailing wildly during Wii Sports, good news. Nintendo has released the fourth version of its Wii-mote strap and giving them away. For free! Remember, these have little lock thingy that keeps the strap from loosening. Nintendo's packaging the updated straps with its products and is also giving out four per serial number to those who need them. How nice of them! Just provide the necessary info on the Nintendo site. I'm curious: Do people continue to swing their Wii-mote around all crazy like? Request one here [Nintendo via Infendo]

Nom Nom: Mad Catz Buys Joytech From Take-Two
There can be only one. Budget peripheral/accessory makers Mad Catz and Joytech, once bitter rivals, are now brothers, courtesy of Take-Two's financial woes. Mad Catz have bought Joytech from former owners Take-Two lock, stock and barrel, taking possesion of Joytech's assets, staff and executive parking spaces. Take-Two's Ben Feder: The sale of the Joytech assets is consistent with one of the key goals we established in our 100 Day Plan: to develop strategic alternatives for any operations that we determined to be outside our core publishing business. Joytech employees in the UK and US should be safe, with "substantially all" of them to be kept in a job. Take-Two are happy, Mad Catz are happy, everybody gets a happy ending.Take-Two sells Joytech to Mad Catz [Gamesindustry.biz]

Night Note: "I can do this as a friend. Are we friends?"
To: CrecenteFrom: AshcraftRE: Best Dentist EvarIf Tristan has the best dentist evar, then I had the worst childhood dentist evar. Here's the laundry list of things that happened: When I was five, I got my arm stuck in the chair and had to go to the hospital. The day after I got my wisdom teeth pulled out, the dentist gave me shots and then said to his assistant: "Oh. We pulled his wisdom teeth out yesterday." He told me that I had cavities between every single one of my teeth. I went to another dentist, who said I had like three. Never went back to the evil dentist ever again! Though, when I was in high school, I saw him at the bookstore. In the adult section. Reading the adult books.I just got back from Yodobashi Camera. I needed my laptop looked at. Something was screwy with the internet connection and time spent talking to support via the phone was fruitless. It was about 8pm when I got to the counter and the guy in the sweater vest told me: "Sorry you'll have to go to the...

Sales Charts: British Sales Charts Return To Normal
Latest British charts are in. That fascination with BioShock's new, original IP was never going to last long. British consumers have retreated to the familiar, warm bosom of EA franchises, with the latest Medal of Honour and Tiger Woods games coming in at #1 & 2, knocking BioShock back to third place.1) Medal of Honour Airborne2) Tiger Woods 083) BioShock4) Two Worlds5) Brain Training6) Stuntman: Ignition7) More Brain Training8) Sims 2: Bon Voyage9) Transformers10) Big Brain Academy Wii[charts courtesy of ChartTrack]

They Finally Did It: Crossword, Charades and Cosplay In One Wii Game
Oh SEGA. That's a screenshot for its new Wii game Miburi-&Teburi-. It's not just a crossword game, but a crossword game based on charades and cosplay. Meaning? People in funny outfits make funny gestures. From that you deduce a word. Sounds like non-stop shits and giggles. So, based on the picture above, what words or phrases leap to mind? Hit the jump for more hilarity. Silly SEGA[Famitsu]

Codenames: Blizzard's New Project Called Hydra
In case you forgot, Blizzard are working on three projects. Starcraft 2, World of Warcraft and...something "totally awesome". That something now has a name, or at least a codename: Hydra. While at the Austin GDC last week, The Inquirer was stalking some Blizzard employees and overheard the following:Blizzard Employee 1: What are you working on?Blizzard Employee 2: Starcraft II, and you?Blizzard Employee 1: I am working on Hydra.Doubt Hydra is the actual name. Which makes it a working name. So...a hydra is a sea creature with many heads. Diablo 3, then? Why not. It'd be a Norse god if it was another Lost Vikings.Blizzard has three projects on the go [Inquirer]

Dead Horse: SCEE Still Selling The PS3 As A Multimedia Thing
In the leadup to Christmas, Sony will be distributing a quarter of a million glossy, expensive-looking advertising books to retailers across Britain. Sadly, it looks like SCEE didn't get the memo: the book will be divided into four chapters. One for HD, online functionality and Blu-Ray movie releases. And one for upcoming games. One! Guys, Wada demands it, Kaz said it: get with the selling it as a games console. That's its job. Might help you shift a few more!Sony teams up with Future Plus [MCV]

Clip: Assassin's Creed Inspired Grown Men to Dress Up and Stab
Those aren't just regular folks in funny cothes, and this is one of those harder-than-it-actually-looks kind of things. Those are the stunt actors of Film Fighting LA swinging swords around, doing an Assassin's Creed send-up. This was filmed in one day and with barely any rehearsal, and it kinda shows it. On a side note! Film Fighting LA's Robert Goodwin (dude in the chain metal) trained Christian Bale in martial arts for Batman Begins, and that movie was pretty bad ass. Oh, you might want to watch the clip on mute. Trust me.

Hard Numbers: 8 Million Xfire Users Can't Be Wrong
Online community thingy Xfire is celebrating. It just chalked up its eight millionth subscriber. Which has led to hard partying at Xfire HQ, as well as the release of some hard numbers. And man do I love bullshit numbers. Those 8 million subscribers have logged 120,000 man-years of play (dog and fish years were unavailable at time of writing), and are racking up over 440,000 hours worth of WoW a day. At the other end of the spectrum, Diablo 2 is still being played, with 12,502 hours a day logged. That's some dedication right there. Xfire hits 8 million users [Gamesindustry.biz]

Odd: Free Gold Membership Is Japanese-less
Today? Lovely. Hours ago, the front door rang, and there was a package waiting for me. My Xbox 360 has returned from its convalescence, 22 days later. In that time, I did get to know my PS3 better. Something did come of this mess! The Xbox 360 was even airmailed back to me, and it's been outfitted with a new guts. Like Crecente, I got an apology note and a free one month Xbox Live Gold membership. Though, my free Gold card doesn't have Japanese on it — English, Korean and Chinese. What gives, Microsoft?Note: I did keep the cardboard box my Xbox 360 was sent back in. You know, just in case.

Convict Spirit: Naughty Aussie Sells Copy Of Halo 3 On eBay
Some Australian, whether he's/she's a warehouse worker, renegade journalist, Microsoft employee or retail affiliate has got themselves a copy of Halo 3. Which, as you can see from the above photo, they've unwrapped and taken photos of...down at the local pub. Then sold on eBay for the tidy sum of AUD$149 (USD$123). Outrageous? Hardly. The game's out in less than a fortnight, there must be millions of these sitting in boxes, in warehouses, across the planet. This was bound to happen sooner or later. Plus, if the contents of this disc don't end up online in some way, shape or form I'll be a monkey's uncle. HALO 3 - the real deal. AVAILABLE NOW! PAL [eBay, thanks everyone]

Arms Race: PSP Firmware 3.70 Emerges From Mother Sony
PSP owners, time for more firmware. We're up to 3.70 already! They grow up so fast, don't they? The latest update brings:- Custom themes- The ability to search through scenes while watching a movie- You can assign buttons in remote play- Movies now support sequential playback- You can both look at photos and listen to music at the same time. All things which I'm sure you just couldn't live without previously, and will make this update an absolute must-have.

Fence Sitting: No Warhawk Demo For You
On the fence regarding Warhawk? Can't decide whether to pony up and buy the thing or wait for a demo so you can sample it first? Sorry. You might be waiting a while. Like, forever. SCEA have told Gamedaily: Warhawk was designed to support up to 32-players online simultaneously. In a demo version of a multiplayer only game, there is little control over how many players will be on a dedicated server at a time, potentially leading to smaller online battles that do not fully do justice to the title's fast combat and frantic play. That's a definite no, then. When Can We Expect a Warhawk Demo? [Gamedaily.biz]

Multi-Plat Blow Out: Beautiful Katamari Rolling onto PS3 and Wii
First this, now this: The Bandai Namco Games US page lists Beautiful Katamari as a PS3 title and a Wii title. Previously, the game was supposedly a multi-platform title, but then the PS3 version was apparently abandoned due to porting issues and sluggish PS3 sales. Since this past spring, there has been rumblings of a Wii version, and the game's designer confirmed it was under consideration. Still, Beautiful Katamari was then announced as an Xbox 360 exclusive, and the released box art even carries the "Only on Xbox 360." According to Bandai Namco's site, the PS3 game's release date is TBA as is the Wii one (Xbox 360 should be out in October). Does that mean "Only on Xbox 360" is totally meaningless? If this is true, guess so!Katamari Listed as PS3 Game [BNG, Thanks Kotakuland! Send tips next time, you bastards :)]