During a Tecmo press event held in Japan yesterday, the publisher announced that it is bringing the much-loved Tecmo Bowl franchise out of retirement with a brand new game: Tecmo Bowl 2008. While no specific platform was announced, the game was said to be coming to one of the new current-gen systems and is not a port of a previous Tecmo Bowl game.

Following the release of the original Tecmo Bowl on NES in 1989, additional games in the series were developed for NES, Super NES, Genesis, and Game Boy, with the NES game appearing on Wii's Virtual Console earlier this year.

Tecmo Bowl 2008 is being developed by Team Tachyon, a new internal Tecmo team whose formation was announced during the event. Helmed by Fatal Frame series producer Keisuke Kikuchi, Team Tachyon will be one of Tecmo's marquee developers along with Ninja Gaiden producer Tomonobu Itagaki's Team NINJA.

No gameplay footage or screenshots of the new game were shown. As its moniker suggests, Tecmo Bowl 2008 is planned for release in 2008.

Tecmo plans to revisit its Rygar series of action/adventure games on the Wii, the publisher announced at its Tokyo press event yesterady. Currently known by the working title Project Rygar, the new game will feature a revamped protagonist design, new enemies, and new locations--but will retain the iconic chained shield for which the titular hero is known. Of course, the motion-sensitive Wii remote will control the swinging weapon.

Tecmo's original Rygar was released for arcades in 1986, with a followup game developed for NES and numerous other console and PC platforms in 1987. No new entries in the series were created until 15 years later, when Tecmo released Rygar: The Legendary Adventure for PlayStation 2 to a warm response in 2002.

No release period was given for Rygar, but Tecmo expects to show more of the game in the coming months.

According to numerous reports from gamers, including threads on Shacknews and the official Crackdown forums, Realtime Worlds' recently released and admirably expansive downloadable content for Crackdown (X360) suffers from a bug that deletes users' save games in certain situations. Apparently, joining a cooperative game in one of the newly added game modes, then leaving the game, will completely wipe out the save game, which includes character progression and completed boss missions.

A Crackdown team member going by the alias "Agent G" stated that Realtime Worlds is looking into the problem:

"hey guys - just so you know, we are aware of the situation and working on it. as soon as we have a fix or workaround i'll let you know. i'll post info right here on these forums, I'm just waiting to hear from the guys on the test team about a solid fix or workaround."

When contacted for comment, a Microsoft representative responded, "We are aware that the recently released "Crackdown" DLC is causing some gamers to experience a reset of their saved games when they engage in co-op play. We have identified this problem and outlined instructions to avoid the issue, which can be found by visiting the official 'Crackdown' site. A permanent solution will be released with the game's next Title Update, which will be available in the very near future."

To ensure that a save file is protected after downloading the new content, perform the following Microsoft-provided steps:
- Sign-in to Xbox Live
- Start Crackdown and receive new Title Update (if you haven't already)
- Begin a Single Player Campaign game
- Once loaded, press Start and choose "Quit"
- Reboot Crackdown (soft reboot or hard reboot of console)

There is no way to restore data lost due to the glitch.

According to an unnamed source cited by GameSpot, Harmonix Music Systems' upcoming peripheral-based music group simulator Rock Band is heading to Wii as well as the previously announced PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The source, which GameSpot claims has a track record of reliability, was allegedly part of a Rock Band focus group which was told that Rock Band is being developed for Wii.

The source also put forward the encouraging rumor that all tracks included in the game will be based on original artist recordings rather than cover band recordings. Harmonix's Guitar Hero (PS2) and Guitar Hero II (PS2, X360) consisted of largely cover recordings, with a few original master tracks.

Finally, the reader noted that focus group participants were asked for their reactions to various bundle price points for Rock Band. Session organizers proposed a bundle containing the game, a wireless guitar controller, a drum controller, and a microphone controller at three potential prices--$200, $175, and $150. Based on the unconfirmed prices released by retailer GameStop last month, such a package would run $259.96 if its individual components were purchased individually.

Electronic Arts plans to ship Harmonix's Rock Band this fall.

Though already confirmed, Namco Bandai officially announced the latest entry in its Soulcalibur series, Soulcalibur Legends for the Wii. Scheduled for release this winter, Legends' third person action adventure gameplay sets it apart from past iterations of the fighting franchise, which began with Namco's 1995 arcade fighter Soul Edge.

Telling the tale of 16th century empire on the verge of ruin, Soulcalibur Legends follows the actions of Siegfried and other characters, both new and familiar. Performing what today's announcement described as "orchestrated slashes and movements" with the Wii Remote and Nunchuck, players will fight their way through a number of enemies, bosses, and gameplay modes.

An Xbox 360 demo of Midway Studios Austin's first person shooter BlackSite: Area 51 can now be downloaded from Xbox Live Marketplace. Set in the small town of Rachel, Nevada, the single player demo showcases the effects of high-powered military weapons when used against a variety of alien lifeforms. Along with the demo, Midway also released a several new screenshots.

Microsoft revealed that next week's Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday release will be Silver Creek Entertainment's Soltrio Solitaire. Featuring 18 different types of solitaire, the game includes a single player campaign that has players pursuing custom card designs as well as two-person multiplayer over Xbox Live and system link, with support for the Xbox Live Vision camera. In versus mode, opponents compete against one another to finish the game first. Meanwhile, co-op has players working together to finish the game as fast as they can.

Set to hit Xbox Live Arcade on May 16, Soltrio Solitaire will sell for 800 Microsoft Points ($10).

Tor Books has unveiled details on Halo: Contact Harvest, the fifth book based off Bungie's Halo franchise. Unlike past Halo novels, which were written by Eric Nylund and William C. Dietz, Contact Harvest comes directly from Bungie lead writer and first-time novelist Joseph Staten.

Slated to arrive in bookstores on October 2, 2007, Halo: Contact Harvest details the beginnings of humanity's conflict with the Covenant from the perspective of the ever-demanding Staff Sergeant Avery Johnson.

"It goes without saying that Joseph has great, intimate knowledge of the Halo universe, so who better to tell the harrowing tale of humanity's first contact with the Covenant?" explained Tor Editor Eric Raab. "In the novel, Joseph not only reveals exciting nuances of known events and characters such as Sgt. Johnson. But he also breaks new ground--takes readers on an action-packed journey to a little-known but vital part of the Halo universe: the far-flung, ill-fated word of Harvest."

Sony today updated the PlayStation 3's online PlayStation Store with a smattering of games and trailers. On the game front are Sumo Digital's tilt controlled duck-centric Super Rub A Dub--available in both free demo and $6.99 full version form--and Sony Online Entertainment's $4.99 port of Midway's classic dungeon crawler Gauntlet II.

Following the system's newfound support of downloadable PlayStation games, 10 of the $5.99 PlayStation titles on the service were updated to be playable on the PS3: 2Xtreme, Crash Bandicoot, Destruction Derby, Jet Moto, Jumping Flash, MediEvil, Rally Cross, Syphon Filter, Tekken 2 and WipeOut. Those who previously bought said PlayStation games though the PlayStation Store can download an updated version for free.

As for trailers, PS3 owners will find glimpses of Housemarque's Super Stardust HD, SOE's version of Midway's Rampart, and Midway's BlackSite: Area 51, along with the theatrical trailer for Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End feature film.

According to reports from the PlayStation.com forums, the North American closed beta test for SCEE's Home began today. Of the small number of PlayStation 3 owners who received an e-mail about the beta in April, the select few chosen to participate will find the Home beta client available for download from the PlayStation Store.

Publisher LucasArts and developer Day 1 Studios have announced Fracture, a sci-fi shooter focused on terrain deformation. Set for release on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 during the summer of 2008, Fracture allows players to modify the landscape with their arsenal of weapons. For example, a tectonic grenade creates a towering pillar of rock, which can then be used for puzzle solving. Another example sees a stray rocket launcher blast resulting in a gaping crater, reminiscent of Volition's Red Faction series.

"LucasArts sees simulation-based gameplay as an essential component of a true next-gen experience, and that's exactly what Fracture delivers," said LucasArts VP of product development Peter Hirschmann. "Day 1 Studios has done a phenomenal job of creating true next-gen tech that not only dazzles on a visual level but also serves as a core gameplay mechanic. Unlike many other next-gen games on the market, Fracture simply isn’t possible in the previous generation of consoles."

Nine screenshots and a trailer of the game can be found at the official website.

In celebration of feature film Tron's 25th anniversary, classic arcade games Tron and Discs of Tron are headed to Xbox Live Arcade care of developer Backbone Charlottetown and publisher Disney Interactive Studios. As with most classic Xbox Live Arcade releases, both will feature enhanced graphics and audio as well as the original assets and online multiplayer.

Originally released in 1982, Tron contains four mini-games based off the movie: tank battles, light cycle racing, a duel with the Master Control Program and grid bug extermination. Discs of Tron followed in 1983, building upon the Pong-like life-or-derez sport also glimpsed in the film.

Rated E for Everyone, both Tron and Discs of Tron are slated for release on Xbox Live Arcade this summer.

System 3's update of Dennis Caswell's beloved Commodore 64 platformer Impossible Mission will be the first original game on the Wii Shop Channel, Nintendo UK has confirmed. As in the the original, the remake has players avoiding deadly robots as they search through Professor Elvin Atombender's randomly generated fortress for the password pieces that will put a stop to his evil plan. As is the case with most modern remakes, the original version of the game will be included as well.

The System 3 edition of Impossible Mission is planned for a summer release on PlayStation 2, Wii, DS and PSP.

Publisher 2K Sports sent along word that St. Louis Cardinals All-Start first baseman and power hitter Albert Pujols will adorn the cover of Blue Castle Games' upcoming "over-the-top baseball action title" The BIGS. Formally announced last October, The BIGS is set to appear on PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and PSP later this summer.

Insomniac Games has posted the fifth episode of its Full Moon Show podcast. Discussed in this edition are Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3) production updates, the current happenings of the Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3) online community, an "I Want Your Job!" interview with Insomniac screenwriter TJ Fixman, and a segment with Old Grandma Hardcore.

EA has revealed the first details of an upcoming mini-game collection developed by EA Canada for the Wii and DS, currently known as EA Playground. According to an IGN interview with executive producer Dave McCarthy, the simplistic mini-games--meant to recreate popular playground activities--are designed around each console's capabilities, with the Wii Remote's lending itself to gesture-based games like Dodge Ball and Tetherball. Meanwhile, Bug Hunt uses the DS' touch screen and Spit Balls utilizes the portable's built-in microphone. McCarthy also mentioned an RC car racing mini-game to be included in the Wii version.

IGN lists EA Playground for a Q3 2007. More details, including an official announcement of the game, are expected shortly.

Eighting's DS fighter Naruto: Ninja Council 3 will arrive in stores on May 22, 2007, TOMY Corporation and D3Publisher of America announced today. Priced at $29.95, the game offers 27 playable characters, over 60 missions and 4 person multiplayer.

Microsoft and Epic Games have revealed the details on the upcoming Gears of War map pack, known as Hidden Fronts. Contained within the downloadable pack are four new multiplayer maps: the Kryll-infested Bullet Marsh, Garden--which features a greenhouse packed with toxic fumes--the subterranean processing plant Process and the tunnels of Timgad's Subway.

Priced at 800 MS Points ($10), the Hidden Fronts multiplayer map pack will be available via Xbox Live Marketplace on Thursday, May 3. Per the agreement between Microsoft and Epic Games outlined earlier in the month, the content will first be sold at a premium but will then become a free download at a later date--September 3, 2007, according to today's announcement.

D3Publisher of America (D3PA) has announced three games for Xbox Live Arcade. First up is Infinite Interactive's puzzle-RPG hybrid Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, which garnered critical acclaim after its March release on DS and PSP. Also forthcoming is Load's racer Mad Tracks--said to be inspired by children's pull-back-and-go toy cars--and 21-6's version of Large Animal's RocketBowl--the first XBLA bowling game.

Described in the press release as "the first of many games" D3PA plans to publish on Xbox Live Arcade, all three titles are expected later this year.

Sony Online Entertainment dropped word that Midway's dungeon crawling classic Gauntlet II will arrive on PlayStation Network this Thursday, May 3. Selling for $4.99, the downloadable game features four playable characters and over 100 unique levels, plus online multiplayer and leaderboards.

North American PSP owners will have the opportunity to play through revamped versions of Square's Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II, publisher Square Enix announced today. The remakes were first revealed earlier this year by the Japanese press, but had not been acknowledged by Square Enix's North American operation until now.

Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II on PSP will feature widescreen presentation, updated graphics, higher resolution sprites, pre-rendered CG cutscenes, and a new tilted camera perpsective on the overworld. They will also contain the content that was added for the 2004 release of the Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls collection on Game Boy Advance.

The two PSP releases are part of Square Enix's celebration of Final Fantasy's twentieth anniversary. "So much has changed within the video game industry since the first console was launched, and Final Fantasy has always pushed the envelope, creating the most advanced graphics and immersive storylines possible," said executive producer Shinji Hashimoto. "It is amazing to see how far Final Fantasy has come in the past twenty years, and we cannot wait to continue bringing fans more Final Fantasy titles in the next twenty years." So far, the series has seen a total of 28 game releases.

Square Enix sent over several screenshots and a piece of character artwork from Final Fantasy, as well as several screenshots and a piece of character artwork (pictured left) from Final Fantasy II.

Final Fantasy for PSP is set to be released in North America on June 26, 2007, with Final Fantasy II to follow on July 24, 2007.

Jet Black Games, a new Vancouver-based independent development house, formally announced its existence today. The company, stealthily founded last year, intends to develop for Wii and Nintendo DS. Both original properties and licensed franchises are planned for development at the studio. Veterans of nearby Electronic Arts Canada are responsible for Jet Black, claiming experience from two generations of console development as one of the staff's strongest assets.

"With the launch of our new studio we've brought together all the key elements to develop top games: proven experience and talent, the desire to push the creative envelope, commitment to making games we ourselves want to play, and all the resources and support systems needed to perform," said co-founder and CEO Roger Freddi. "Both the Nintendo DS and Wii's WiFi capabilities provide an advanced medium for Jet Black to bring already popular franchises to an even broader worldwide audience. These recognised licensed properties serve to ensure that Jet Black is a name to affiliate with Nintendo games, and nicely complement the original IP on which we're working."

Though Jet Black's own games are planned for Nintendo systems, the company has also ported A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. Games' engine, intended for "a yet to be announced XBOX Live Arcade game," from PC to Xbox 360. That game may be Rocketmen: Axis of Evil, the top-down shooter announced by Capcom last week.

Jet Black has not released any details pertaining to its Wii or Nintendo DS games.

Bungie today released the two new Certain Affinity-developed Halo 2 maps, available for $4: a remake of Halo's Hang 'Em High, entitled Tombstone, and a remake of Halo's Derelict, entitled Desolation. Though the maps were originally announced as Xbox 360 exclusives, Microsoft and Bungie later relented and stated that both Xbox and Xbox 360 users would have access.

Due to the cross-platform concession, however, the maps are being offered only through the last-generation Xbox Live sales mechanism, meaning that they must be purchased with an actual credit card rather than with the Xbox 360's Microsoft Points system. Xbox 360 users whose Xbox Live accounts are tied not to a credit card but to Xbox Live point cards will be required to enter credit card information to purchase the maps.

Next week, Bungie will be introducing an updated set of playlists, with Rumble pit, Team Slayer, Team Skirmish, Team Snipers, and Team SWAT requiring the new maps. Double Team, Team Training, Team Hardcore, and Big Team Battle will not require the new maps.

For more information on purchasing and playlists, check out Bungie's official update on the matter.

Konami Digital Entertainment plans to streamline its two California offices into one location, the publisher announced today. By the end of July, the company's Redwood City operations will be moved down South to its El Segundo offices, which will become the company's North American headquarters.

"In order to grasp the rapid change of entertainment trends and take timely strategic action, having all functions under one roof is critical," said CEO Kazumi Kitaue. "Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. will continue creating and innovating in order to provide its customers with dreams and excitement which have never before been experienced."

Atlus sends word that it has launched the official site for its upcoming Nintendo DS RPG Etrian Odyssey. The game's staff features several notable names, with direction by Kazuya Niinou (Trauma Center: Under the Knife [NDS]), story and world design by Shigeo Kobayashi (Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner [PS2, PSP]), monster design by Shin Nagasawa (Final Fantasy IX [PS1]), and music by Yuzo Koshiro (Actraiser [SNES], Sreets of Rage [SMS, GEN]). Previous screenshots are available here.

As we reported earlier today, Bethesda today unveiled its full expansion pack for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Known as The Elder Scrolls IV: The Shivering Isles, the pack will be released for Xbox 360 as well as PC this spring. Interestingly, the Xbox 360 version of the expansion will be an Xbox Live Marketplace download rather than a standalone disc, meaning Xbox Live access is required. Shacknews contacted Bethesda for more details, and was assured that a free Xbox Live Silver account will work just fine. A hard drive will also of course be required to store the expansion itself.

As for PlayStation 3, which will be seeing a release of Oblivion this March, Bethesda also confirmed to us that the expansion is in the works for that system as well. The company does not have a specific release date projection, but it plans to release The Shivering Isles for PlayStation 3 some time this year. It seems likely that, given PS3's existing content download service, it will be delivered in a similar way to the Xbox 360 version.

Few details beyond a steady stream of artwork and screenshots have been released regarding Artificial Studios' cooperative Xbox 360 and PC action game Monster Madness since it was first announced in June 2005. Last year, SouthPeak Interactive announced that it would be publishing the title, and that it would be released at some point this spring, and today SouthPeak sent word that the game has received a solid launch date: April 3, 2007.

Playable cooperatively with up to four players locally or online, Monster Madness is a Gauntlet-like top-down action game featuring upgradable weapons, vehicles, and the ability to transform into monsters and gain additional abilities. It also features a 16-player competitive mode, with a variety of game types. To check out screenshots, visit our extensive Monster Madness gallery.

Last year, Take-Two Interactive without advance notice shut down Rockstar Games developer Rockstar Vienna, the studio responsible for the Xbox ports of various Rockstar games. Founded in 1993 as neo Software Produktions, it was acquired by Take-Two in 2001 and renamed Rockstar Vienna in 2003.

This week, two original founders of neo Software--Hannes Seifert and Niki Laber--along with fellow industry veteran Jurgen Goeldner announced the founding of new development studio Games That Matter. Few details are currently available beyond that the company claims to have "a visionary game production business model," but a press conference is scheduled for January 25, 2007, at which point the company's upcoming plans are expected to be revealed.

Microsoft sent word today that next week's Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday release will be a trio of content downloads for Q Entertainment's music-based puzzler Lumines Live!. Two of the offerings will be components that add or extend modes included in the main menu of the original game. The VS CPU Pack will add a CPU-challenging mode to the game, and includes one new main skin as well as a bonus skin, along with character designs that change with each progressive stage. From Wedneday, January 24 to Wednesday, February 21, the pack will be sold for 100 Microsoft Points ($1.25), and after February 21 it will be sold for 300 Microsoft Points ($3.75).

The Puzzle/Mission Pack extends the basic game's Puzzle and Mission modes, adding 90 puzzles and 40 mission. Puzzles have the player creating an illustrated shape within a single pass, while missions require the player to clear the screen within a limited number of passes. This pack will use the same pricing strategy as that of the VS CPU pack, selling for 100 Microsoft Points ($1.25) until February 21, then 300 Microsoft Points ($3.75) from then onward.

Finally, for a limited time, an HD video skin of Heavenly Star will be made available for free to Xbox Live Gold subscribers. It will consist of a standard playable game stage set over an animated sketch-like Genki Rockets music video--somewhat reminiscent of Aha's classic Take On Me video--produced by Q Entertainment founder and Lumines designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi. Heavenly Star will be downloadable from January 24 to February 21, after which point it will be taken off Xbox Live Marketplace.

This week, Electronic Arts officially announced the upcoming release of the PlayStation 3 and Wii incarnations of its The Godfather franchise, respectively entitled The Godfather The Don's Edition and The Godfather Blackhand Edition. Both games feature motion-based controls that map the player's hand movements with the system's controllers to in-game character actions. In addition to coming packaged with the Corleone Expansion Pack including new missions, The Godfather The Don's Edition has manhandling controls that utilize the PS3's Sixaxis controller. The Godfather Blackhand Edition also includes new missions, and has a broad range of motion controls, including manipulating enemies by punching, grabbing, swinging, throwing, or hitting with melee weapons such as baseball bats. The game features both standard lock on aiming as well as pointer-based aiming with the Wii remote.

Both The Don's Edition and Blackhand Edition include two new career paths, the Enforcer and the Operator, with updated features such as interrogating characters to uncover corrupt cops, taking down additional rival family compounds, taking on five new hits, and having access to larger hit squads.

EA sent along some PS3 screenshots and Wii screenshots as well as a Wii gameplay video. Both new versions of The Godfather are slated to ship to North America in March 2007.

When FromSoftware's RPG Enchanted Arms was released last year for Xbox 360, its cover featured an "Only on Xbox 360" logo in North America, though not on its Japanese release. Some took this to mean that Ubisoft, the game's Western publisher, secured exclusivity rights for its region, whereas FromSoftware would release the game for PlayStation 3 in Japan, where Microsoft's machine has struggled to gain a foothold. Apparently, that first bit wasn't quite true. Without explanation, Ubisoft announced this week that the game is indeed coming to PS3 in North America as well.

Enchanted Arms on PS3 will include various system-exclusive features, including the option to use the original Japanese voice track or an "all-new English language track." It also has 30 new creatures, Sixaxis motion control for various weapons and puzzles, and some ten minutes of newly created video.

Ubisoft plans to ship FromSoftware's Enchanted Arms for PlayStation 3 this March.

When Harmonix's Guitar Hero II is released for Xbox 360 this spring, it will include some additional tracks not included with the PlayStation 2 version of the game, as well as system-specific features such as leaderboards, Achievement points, and downloadable content such as themes, picture packs, and--of course--new music tracks. As for the original songs included on the retail disc itself, there will be ten new to 360, five of which were revealed this week (original performing artist listed in parenthesis):

- Billion Dollar Babies (Alice Cooper)
- Hush (Deep Purple)
- Dead! (My Chemical Romance)
- Life Wasted (Pearl Jam)
- Rock N Roll Hoochi Koo (Rick Derringer)

The remaining new tracks, as well as the tracks to be offered via download, will be announced in the near future. "Guitar Hero is all about feeling like a rock star, and we're adding to the experience by offering our fans an exciting pipeline of new songs, fun and exclusive downloadable content, and the opportunity to see who rocks hardest with an online leaderboard," said publisher RedOctane's Dusty Welch.

UK-based Kuju Entertainment is putting the finishing touches on a previously unrevealed "flight combat/racing" game for PSP entitled M.A.C.H. (Modified Air Combat Heroes), which publisher Vivendi Games claims is the first of its kind on the system. Set in the middle of the 21st century, when governments have decommissioned all piloted aircraft in favor of unmanned remote controlled craft, former hobby and fighter pilots acquire the defunct planes through the black market and compete in matches of speed and dogfighting prowess. The game features 11 planes, each of which can be customized with unlockable components. Available gameplay modes include a story featuring a series of tournaments, an arcade mode, a challenge mode, and local wireless multiplayer.

Vivendi sent over some screenshots and concept art. M.A.C.H. is set to hit North American store shelves for PSP on February 20, 2007.

Remember Crazy Taxi? Those were fun crazy times. Sega is hoping to relive those times with Sniper Studios' upcoming Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars, a "best of" port of the first two Crazy Taxi games originally released on Sega Dreamcast. "With over 2.7 million games sold to date in the Crazy Taxi franchise, SEGA is excited to bring back such a popular series from our vault of classics," said Sega marketing VP Scott A. Steinberg. "Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars is fun, frantic, and highly addictive, and perfect for gamers on the go."

Fare Wars includes mission-based Arcade mode, Time Trial mode, and the underrated Crazy Box, which gives players a series of 16 increasingly difficult timed driving-related challenges. The game also includes a two-player local wireless multiplayer mode.

Sega plans to ship Sniper Studios' Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars this summer.

This week, Epic Games released its promised first pack of free content for Gears of War (X360). Two new maps, Raven Down and Old Bones, are currently available for download via Xbox Live Marketplace. Microsoft's descriptions of the maps are as follows:

Raven Down: A Raven Helicopter has gone down in the middle of a large scale battle with the omnipresent Locust Horde. Gears have taken out the Seeder and gamers join Delta Forces moving into the crash site from all angles to search for survivors.

Old Bones: In an attempt to eradicate any traces of human history and culture, the Locust Horde has emerged under Sera's Capitaline Museums and has begun to destroy them brick by brick. Each gamer's mission is to help the Delta Force recapture the museums before all remnants of humankind's existence are obliterated.

As usual, this Monday the Wii Virtual Console saw a new batch of games available for purchase. This time, NES got one, and TurboGrafx-16 two. For NES, players can pick up the classic shooter Gradius (1-2 players) for 500 Wii Points ($5). For TurboGrafx-16, Hudson released another shoot-em-up, Soldier Blade (1 player) for 600 Wii Points ($6) as well as the classic action RPG Dungeon Explorer (1-5 players) for 600 Wii Points. To achieve five simultaneous players in Dungeon Explorer, players can use a combination of Wii Remotes and Nintendo GameCube controllers.

Sony has made it clear that it intends its PlayStation Store for PS3 to focus on newly developed digitally distributed titles, but that doesn't mean it will be eschewing the classics entirely. This week, Sony Online Entertainment announced that it will be bringing six well known Midway games to PS3 for download: Mortal Kombat II, Gauntlet II, Joust, Rampage World Tour, Rampart, and Championship Spirit. SOE's press release specifically notes that the games were selected based on their multiplayer modes, which will be playable either with same-screen gameplay or online.

"We knew these titles would be a perfect fit for the PlayStation Network," said Midway chief marketing officer Steve Allison, "and based on Sony Online Entertainment’s legacy in the online space as well as their intimate knowledge of the PlayStation Network, it was an obvious decision they would be a top company to work with to bring this project to fruition."

All six games are expected some time in early 2007.

As one of the primary contributors to Wii's Virtual Console, Sega announced this week that it has five more Genesis games in the pipeline for the near future. Streets of Rage, Bio-Hazard Battle, Gain Ground, Comix Zone, and Bonanza Bros. will be available for purchase "soon" through the service. The publisher currently has ten titles available on Virtual Console, with the announced batch of five coming "soon."

This week's Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays release was Namco's beloved (and more challenging) Pac-Man followup, Ms. Pac-Man. It is currently available on the Xbox Live Marketplace for 400 Microsoft Points ($5). Like other Live Arcade releases, it features Achievements and online leaderboards.

This week Activision released a new map for the Xbox 360 version of Treyarch's Call of Duty 3. Currently available for Xbox Live Gold subscribers as a free download via Xbox Live Marketplace and entitled Champs, the map takes place in Port Royal de Champs, France. Xbox Live Silver subscribers will have access to the map on January 18. That same day, developers from Treyarch will be online playing Call of Duty 3 on Xbox Live from 11am to 2pm Pacific STandard Time, giving players the opportunity to test their skills against those who made the game.

Furthermore, on January 18, an additional set of Call of Duty 3 multiplayer maps will be released on the Xbox Live Marketplace for 800 Microsoft Points ($10). The Valor Map Pack will contain five new maps enabled for online, system link, and split-screen multiplayer.

Microsoft today announced the final release date for Epic's upcoming Xbox 360 shooter Gears of War. Referred to in marketing materials as Emergence Day, November 12, 2006 will be when the game is officially available in stores, though comments made today by Epic employees suggest that retailers will be able to sell the title as soon as it is delivered to their stores. Somewhat oddly for a game release, the date falls on a Sunday. The game will hit the United Kingdom on November 17, the same day Sony plans to launch PlayStation 3 in North America and Europe.

Gears of War will ship in two versions, a standard edition for $59.99 and a limited edition collector's edition for $69.99. The higher price tag on the limited edition pays for metal packaging as well as an official book of artwork entitled "Destroyed Beauty" and a DVD with documentary footage. The pricing scheme breaks the Xbox 360's tradition for Microsoft-published software, which has previously launched at a $49.99 price point for standard editions.

Speaking on the possibility of a pre-release demo, Epic vice president Mark Rein soundly refuted any such speculation, noting that the time it takes to create a demo would needlessly delay the game. "Given a choice of the game this year or a demo this year and the game next year I'm sure every one of you would rather have the game this year because you're already planning to buy it," he said frankly, adding that the company has not decided whether to create a demo post-release. However, it seems like Epic's priority is on creating extra downloadable content for the game, which has already proven to be hugely popular with Xbox Live gamers. "I know we have some very cool plans (not 100% solid so too early to give any specifics) for additional downloadable so that might take a higher priority than creating a demo," he said.

Following comments made this week by Ubisoft's Laurent Detoc that Ubisoft has seven titles in development for Nintendo's upcoming Wii console, the publisher has issued a press release providing a somewhat surprising clarification to that remark. It seems that the company in fact plans to release seven titles at the system's launch alone, which solidifies the company's existing image as the strongest third party supporter of the console. Today's announcement claimed that there are "many more titlets currently in development" in addition to those planned for launch. The titles are:

- Red Steel (exclusive, already announced): Yakuza-themed gun- and swordplay action title from Ubisoft Paris
- Far Cry: This iteration of Far Cry will feature "a fresh storyline, new maps, characters and equipment," as well as being tailored to the Wii remote, according to an IGN interview
- GT Pro Series: A newly announced racing franchise unique to Wii, featuring 80 licensed cars, tuning options, and drift physics. Apparently, this game will be packaged with some kind of custom peripheral.
- Rayman Raving Rabbids (multiplatform, already announced): Ubisoft Montpellier's latest Rayman title is heading to all current- and next-gen consoles, though designer Michel Ancel seems to consider Wii the game's primary platform
- Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII: Wii version of Ubisoft Romania's WWII flight combat sim
- Monster 4x4 World Circuit: Wii version of Ubisoft's monster truck franchise
- Open Season (multiplatform): Wii version of Ubisoft's animated film adaptation

The French version of today's press release also stated that a Wii version of Prince of Persia will be released in March 2007, though the English-language release did not include that information. Prior rumors alleged that Ubisoft was preparing a compilation of the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time trilogy for Wii; this may be referring to that project.

Today's announcement brings the number of expected Wii launch titles near 30.

Last night, Blizzard sent out a press release indicating that various "key members" of the Blizzard Console team, formerly known as Swingin' Ape, have been relocated to various other Blizzard projects on the PC. The only currently announced new project in the works for the company is the upcoming The Burning Crusade expansion for World of Warcraft, but this week a Blizzard job posting surfaced, suggesting that the company has a new realtime strategy game in the works.

About a year ago, Blizzard's regular newsletter asked readers whether they would be interested in a Nintendo DS version of StarCraft, or a Nintendo DS or PSP version of Diablo. The company has not made any reference to these proposals since then.

One perennial rumor, that Blizzard is preparing a console version of World of Warcraft, is dealt yet another blow by today's announcement, having already been repeatedly denied by Blizzard representatives.

According to the latest issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Konami's classic PlayStation title Castlevania: Symphony of the Night will be ported to Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360. The game, commonly abbreviated SOTN, is revered among the Castlevania franchise for being the entry that inaugurated the series' Metroid-like nonlinear level design, which it has retained ever since.

The news may suggest that Microsoft has relaxed its 50MB size restriction on Xbox Live Arcade games. Requests sent to Konami and Microsoft regarding this possibility as well as the accuracy of the initial report had not been returned as of press time.

An update from Midway today revealed that the company's upcoming action title John Woo Presents Stranglehold (PS3, X360, PC) will be missing its 2006 release date and instead coming out some time in the first quarter of 2007. This update contradicts earlier reports from IGN that the game would be launching alongside Sony's upcoming PlayStation 3. No further details regarding the reason for the delay were revealed.

In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Atari CEO Bruno Bonnell confirmed that Atari will not be publishing any titlets for PlayStation 3 in 2006, though 2007 will see some Atari output on Sony's upcoming machine. Oddly enough, Bonnell stated that the reason for the delayed showing has to do with a lack of information. "It's just that we're lacking information about the PS3 at this stage, because we have basically a rough release date and a high retail price point," he explained. "As far as the Wii and the Xbox 360 go, we'll be there for this season."

Cubed3 speaks with Hirohide Sugiura of Monolith Soft about the company's Baten Kaitos series of RPGs and about developing for Wii.

Silicon Knights' Ken McCulloch has updated the IGN-hosted blog on the company's upcoming Too Human (X360).

Midway has announced that its upcoming Mortal Kombat: Armageddon will be the last Mortal Kombat title to hit the current generation. It will include Create-A-Fighter and Create-A-Fatality modes and a new mode called Konquest. Earlier this week, Midway also announced a PSP entry in the Mortal Kombat series.

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon will ship this fall for PS2 and Xbox. - Press release. For more, see Shacknews' preview.

Speaking to GameSpot, Midway CEO David Zucker stated, "We will have a Revolution title this year," going a bit further than other developers or publishers which have confirmed Revolution support but not whether they would have titles out in 2006. It is unlikely the publisher will divulge just what the title is until Nintendo's unveiling of the console at E3. GameSpot hazarded a guess that it might be Midway Chicago's Stranglehold (X360, PS3, PC), but Midway responded that while the game may come to Revolution later, it is not the project Zucker was referencing.

First things first: XBLA is a hilarious acronym. Exblah. Midway also announced at a press event today that several of the publisher's titles will be coming to Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360 some time this year: Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Cyberball, Defender, Root Beer Tapper, and, fittingly with tonight's intro, Paperboy. Previously, Midway released Robotron: 2084, SmashTV, Gauntlet, and Joust on Live Arcade. The company indicated that it hopes to do the same on Revolution and PS3 if Nintendo and Sony offer such services.

The release of the Xbox 360 has been one of the main reasons cited for the decline in game sales seen in recent months, as consumers shy away from current-gen products but face shortages with the only next-gen console yet released. The console hit hardest by that consumer hesitation is probably Microsoft's Xbox itself, since its next iteration is already out. To spur Xbox sales, Microsoft has released a new discount line, the Best of Platinum Hits, selling for an MSRP of $9.99. Eleven games inaugurate the Best of Platinum Hits, including five Tom Clancy's titles: Counter-Strike, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Fuzion Frenzy, MechAssault, Project Gotham Racing 2, Soul Calibur II, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, Clancy's Ghost Recon Island Thunder, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow.

Sony also announced that two more titles would be joining its standard Greatist Hits line: God of War and Gran Turismo 4. Both have an MSRP of $19.99.

We haven't heard all too much about Edge of Reality's Fear & Respect (PS3, X360) ever since it was announced back in 2004. It turns out that's because the game is no longer in development. Speaking to GameSpot, publisher Midway's CEO David Zucker confirmed the game's cancellation. The game was being developed in association with Snoop Dogg and director John Singleton (Shaft, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Four Brothers), who are apparently still in talks with Midway to work on a separate game at some point in the future.

VU Games is holding a contest to choose an unsigned band whose music will appear in Radical Entertainment's upcoming game Scarface: The World is Yours (PS2, Xbox, PS3, X360, PC). The contest is being conducted through the website MySpace, and to be eligible a band need only have a MySpace account with music and information uploaded. To nominate a band, go to the contest website. The 200 artists with the most nominations as of March 7 will be judged by a panel of music and game industry professionals, and then internet users will vote for the best act from that panel's 20 selections. Finally, the winner and two runner ups will get the chance to open for a known group during a concert at this year's E3. A track by the winning artist will also be featured in the game. - Press release.

EA sent word today that the Xbox 360 version of DICE's Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (PS2, Xbox, X360) has had its release date changed from March 15 to April 11. An EA rep stated that the game "is complete and in the final phases of testing at this moment," and that the delay was "to place MF2MC in the best possible launch window" rather than because of development issues. A multiplayer demo will also be available via Xbox Live Marketplace later this month.

GameSpot centralized all of its Midway press event coverage on one handy page.

GameSpot has a Q&A about the Metal Gear Saga DVD obtained from preorder copies of Kojima Productions' Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2).

IGN Revolution put up a feature about Revolution games known to be in development. It is accurate as of yesterday (so it doesn't mention the Midway one). There's some stuff in there I didn't know about, such as an actual confirmation of a Revolution sequel to Atlus' Trauma Center: Under the Knife (DS). It is also missing a couple, such as Kojima's title in development.

IGN has a developer interview on Metroid Prime Hunters (DS).

After constantly giving the vague release date of "2006" for its upcoming Revolution console, Nintendo has finally given a slightly more defined release target: "by Thanksgiving" in the US. "We have no plans to miss out on the year-end sales battle," said company president Satoru Iwata, speaking to Japanese publication Sankei Shinbun. "As for North America, we need to release it by Thanksgiving, or otherwise we won't receive support from the retail industry. So the Revolution will be released prior to that period." Iwata also noted that it would be impossible to sell the Revolution for a price of upwards of 50,000 yen (~$433). In case that upper limit sounds a bit worrying, Nintendo marketing man Reggie Fils-Aime once again confirmed today that the system will sell for less than $300.

In their respective interviews, both Iwata and Fils-Aime confirmed that Revolution would be present in playable form at E3. Fils-Aime said that the company will be showing "a lot of titles" at the expo, including the games from the system's launch lineup.

For many Xbox 360 owners, the best thing about their expensive next-gen console, whether they admit it or not, is Xbox Live Arcade. It sure is for me. And I don't mean that as a veiled slam to the rest of the console, it's just that Live Arcade does exactly what it needs to do: present a bunch of really fun games for only a few dollars each. After spending those hundreds of dollars, your wallet thanks you when only having to shell out $5 or $10 for untold hours of gameplay.

It seems that there are many, many gamers who agree. Live Arcade group manager Greg Canessa said to MTV News that Bizarre Creations' "'Geometry Wars' has been our 'Halo.'" While that's perhaps a bit exaggerated, the game has done incredibly well, racking up 200,000 downloads and 45,000 purchases Not bad considering that at its roots, the game stems from decades-old gameplay principles.

IGN has the top 10 selling Live Arcade games, and of course Geometry Wars tops the list. It's followed by Gauntlet, Smash TV, Bejeweled II, Zuma, Bankshot Billiards, Outpost Kaloki, Mutant Storm Reloaded, Joust, and Wik: Fable of Souls, demonstrating a healthy blend of arcade classics and current casual and independent games.

Many sites today reported on what was apparently an official Sony announcement of first party launch titles for PS3, including The Eye of Judgment, Genji 2, Angel Rings, Monster Carnival, a Hot Shots Golf game, and, most notably, a new Gran Turismo game. However, more competent translations of the page later determined that these are by no means launch titles; each has a shipping date of "undecided," and furthermore these games have already all been announced, meaning that there really isn't any new information of any kind on the page at all. It'll be some time before we get a solid lineup, given the console has still yet to be fully unveiled.

The official Game Developers Conference website has been updated to include two sessions held by Nintendo speakers. The first, a lecture given by Animal Crossing series director Katsuya Eguchi, will focus on transforming a console franchise to fit a portable platform, while touching on the DS' particular input methods and the online component of Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS).

Much more relevant to gamers in general, however, will be Takao Ohara's talk on Nitnendo's Wi-Fi Connection online service for the DS. He will discuss the successes and failures of the project, and most importantly he will discuss what can be done with the company's implementation of the service on Revolution, and how the lessons learned from the DS implementation will affect it.

There is not yet any indication that any Nintendo executives will present a keynote address at this year's event. At GDC 2005, company president Satoru Iwata delivered a keynote entitled "Heart of a Gamer," in which he discusses his and Nintendo's philosophies with respect to gaming, and also shed some light on the company's then-even-more-mysterious Revolution.

Geez, we don't hear anything about Revolution for ages, then occasionally we get these news days when there's nothing but Nintendo news and speculation. Minoru Nakai, producer on the upcoming Resident Evil: Deadly Silence (DS), spoke about the possibility of the Resident Evil franchise on Revolution. Capcom has still given no indication that Resident Evil 5 (PS3, X360) will ship for Nintendo's upcoming machine, and Nakai indicates that the Revolution's unique controller demands a type of gameplay more tuned to it. Certainly, the deliberately and successfully restrictive controls of Resident Evil 4 (PS2, GCN) would seem a bit at odds with the deliberately freeform nature of the Revolution controller. Nakai wants to first make a non-Resident Evil game for Revolution before bringing that franchise to the console.

Following up on yesterday's news that EA's The Godfather (PS2, Xbox, X360, PSP, PC) would be hitting stores in March on PS2, Xbox, and PC, IGN has confirmed that the little-mentioned Xbox 360 and PSP versions are still in fact in development. They will hopefully be launching some time in the late summer, according to an EA representative, but a more specific date was not given.

Gamasutra's audience speculates on what company might be able to bring a third successful handheld gaming console to market.

GameSpot has a designer diary for SCEA's Pursuit Force (PSP).

1UP lets you know what you can do with your 360 power brick. Don't feel like you need to click on that or anything, I'm just sayin'.

Adelaide, Australia newspaper The Advertiser has confirmed that Midway shut down its development studio in Adelaide yesterday. The studio was rebranded from its original name Ratbag to Midway Studios - Australia just this August. Apparently, Greg Siegele and Richard Harrison, who co-founded Ratbag in 1993, attempted yesterday to convince Midway worldwide studio senior VP Matthew Booty to allow the studio to remain open.

The article also mentions some previously unconfirmed news, which is that Midway has also closed its San Diego studio. Midway - San Diego just shipped Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows (PS2, Xbox), which reportedly had something of a bumpy development cycle. The game's designers, John Romero and J.E. Sawyer, both left the company early this year while the game was still in production.

Specific details of the San Diego closure have yet to surface, but the Australian studio had recently been hiring and was surprised by Midway's announcement. In total, over a hundred developers will be either let go or relocated.

Yesterday, GamesIndustry.biz posted an excerpt from an interview with Sony chief of development Phil Harrison regarding the difference between Microsoft's take on HD and Sony's. Today, the full interview was made public, and it mainly consists of talk about Sony's future plans. Lately there has been a rather notable lack of information regarding the PlayStation 3, and true to form Harrison's responses to questions regarding the upcoming console tended to dance around the issues. He explained that "we're in a period when we would rather focus on selling PSPs and PS2s," and "next year the emphasis will start to shift, and we will start to share with you at the appropriate time a lot of the cool things about PS3."

The one topic on which he was quite keen to speak is that bit about HD in PS3 versus in Xbox 360. He made a point frequently shared by PlayStation executives, which is that "true definition of HD" is "the display, the content and the hardware to play back that content, and PlayStation and Sony is the only organisation that has all three bits of the value chain together." In relation to Microsoft, he noted that "Xbox 360 doesn't play high definition movies and doesn't have true HD functionality," nor does it support 1080p. One of Microsoft's biggest Xbox 360 marketing angles is that the console ushers in what they call the HD Era, but Harrison said, "The HD era really only starts when we are on the market."

After recently announcing then retracting its November sales data, the NPD group has released final sales numbers for the month of November, including data on Xbox 360 consoles and games. The report shows that the console sold 325,902 units during November, a number clearly limited by Microsoft's limited supply capabilities. By comparison, Xbox sold 556,000 in the same time period upon its release in 2001. Where the 360 improves is with software sales. Customers bought 3.9 games for each console, though there were certainly consumers who bought games before the launch then were unable to actually secure a console, as well as reports of electronics chains requiring customers to buy bundled games in order to receive a console at launch. The top selling game was Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 2 with just over 250,000 units for a 77% adoption rate. Following that was EA Tiburon's Madden 06 (178,000) and EA Canada's Need for Speed Most Wanted (108,000). Then Rare's Perfect Dark Zero (86,000), Bizarre Creations' Project Gotham Racing (70,000+), and Rare's Kameo: Elements of Power (70,000+).

Peter Jackson's King Kong (PS2, Xbox, GCN, X360, DS, PSP), designed by Michel Ancel of Beyond Good & Evil (PS2, Xbox, GCN) at the request of Peter Jackson, has been cited as a rare example of a quality film adaptation in gaming. However, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot warns gamers that the the Xbox 360 version of the game "is dark on some TVs and it totally changes the experience. When it's dark, you don't see where you have to go." The Xbox 360 version was primarily developed on high definition TVs, and apparently when played on standard definition sets the game is simply too dark. Such unsolicited candor about such a fault is surprising from the CEO of a major publisher, especially considering there hasn't been any particularly visible outcry from gamers regarding the problem. Perhaps they simply adjusted the brightness value on their television sets? Guillemot recommends playing the game on a current generation console, saying that then "you start to see that it is beautiful," and promises that such flaws will not happen in the future.

Despite the launch of the Xbox 360, overall game sales last month dropped 18% from November 2004, confirming expectations by some that despite the usual holiday season sales spike the industry is in something of a slump. In terms of hardware, Game Boy Advance did surprisingly well, leading the pack with 690,000 units. Old standby PS2 followed with 531,000, Nintendo DS with 370,000, GameCube with 272,000, and Xbox with 197,000. As is often the case, PSP numbers were not available. The bestselling software was the Xbox version of Pandemic's Star Wars: Battlefront II (PS2, Xbox, PC) followed by the PS2 version. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (PSP) made the list at #7, so the PSP must be doing alright, and Mario Kart DS was #10. Mario Party 7 made the chart at #9, somewhat uncommon for a GameCube title. The highest-charting Xbox 360 release was Call of Duty 2, which made #3.

Bungie has posted some backstory of the female Spartan character from Team NINJA's upcoming Dead or Alive 4 (X360).