In its quaterly earnings conference call, Activision announced several upcoming games for 2006.

The first new title announced was Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, a new spinoff of the Tony Hawk franchise aimed at younger gamers. Other than being an "extension of the Tony Hawk brand," no concrete details were revealed during the game. Activision compares the marketing approach to that of Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (PS2, Xbox, GCN), which ran parallel to the "main" version of Call of Duty 2 (X360, PC) but is a different game targeted at a different market. The Call of Duty approach was described as a great success, so we should see more of this franchise-splitting from Activision in the future.

In addition to noting that the company would be launching additional Xbox 360 and PSP games throughout the year, Activision also expects to be contributing at least one Revolution launch title and three PlayStation 3 launch titles when those consoles ship this year. No details were given in regards to the titles, but given the success Activision had with its licensed titles this past year and the underperformance of new IP like Gun (PS2, Xbox, GCN, X360, PC), it seems likely that the publisher will rely mainly on existing proprties for the console launches. Given Activision's stated goal of one to two new intellectual properties a year, expect to see them on more established systems.

The company plans to support the Xbox 360 version of Call of Duty 2 "as if it were a newly launched title" in Activision's fiscal year 2007 (which begins in April 2006) for the purpose of updates and additions. This is due to the install base of Xbox 360, which is expected to grow significantly as Microsoft gets its supply caught up to demand.

In regards to Neversoft's new franchise Gun and Luxoflux's continuing franchise True Crime, both lines sold under expectations, and future plans for additional sequels are not concrete.

A couple weeks ago, I reported on news from a reliable source that European localizations of Sega's Yakuza epic Ryu ga Gotoku (PS2) are in the works. The game, from producer Toshihiro Nahoshi, was released in Japan to strong critical response but has yet to be announced for release in other territories. My source seemed fairly confident, however, and further evidence has sprung up in support of that rumor. The internet has uncovered a Sega-registered US trademark (#78801116) of the word "Yakuza" for use in "home video game software." If this does refer to Ryu go Gotoku, which seems very likely given the game's Yakuza theme, it implies that the game will be coming not only to Europe but to North America as well. Fingers crossed.

Foundation 9, which bills itself as the "largest independent developer in North America," has announced the opening of a new Canadian development studio. Foundation 9 was formed last year when independents The Collective and Backbone Entertainment merged; and it now also comprises developers Pipeworks Software, ImaginEngine, and Digital Eclipse.

The new studio, based on Charlettetown, Prince Edward Island, will be Backbone-branded and will be equipped to develop for all current- and next-gen consoles. It should begin development by March. Backbone, which already has studios in Emeryville, Vancouver, and Honolulu, was responsible for last year's Death Jr. (PSP) and is currently working on Age of Empires: The Age of Kings (DS).

There are parallels to be drawn between Foundation 9 and Elevation Partners, which last year acquired Pandemic Studios and BioWare and is now rumored to be considering a Take-Two acquisition. Both companies unite multiple developers in an attempt to gain leverage in dealings with publishers and provide security by means of a diversified development portfolio. However, unlike Foundation 9 and most other developers, Elevation may soon be a publicly traded company.

Press release

According to a post on developer Digital Illusions CE's official website, the Battlefield developer has cancelled two versions of an unnamed game being produced in conjunction Electronic Arts. Last October, DICE announced that it would be licensing the rights to the PS2, Xbox, and PSP versions of its game out to EA; they would be produced at EA's UK studio. The PSP version is still in the works at EA UK, but the PS2 and Xbox versions have been cancelled entirely.

Apparently, this comes as a result of the strong but disappointing sales of DICE's Battlefield 2: Modern Combat for PS2 and Xbox. Under the royalty system used in DICE's contract with EA, the game would have needed to sell 4 million copies before DICE sees any additional payment beyond the fee for the game's actual development, but only 1 million copies of the game have been sold. DICE does not expect the current gen machines to have enough momentum to result in a different situation the next time around.

The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the mystery game are still in development at DICE's Stockholm studio, and it is set to launch in 2007.

Despite recent rumors that Uwe Boll has a copy of a script for an upcoming Metal Gear Solid film and is in talks to direct, Metal Gear series creator Hideo Kojima says it's simply not the case. In the second installment of The Kojima Productions Report, an English internet broadcast being hosted from Kojima's personal site, host Ryan Payton denies those rumors with word straight from Kojima himself.

When asked about the possibility of a Boll-directed Metal Gear Solid film, Kojima reportedly replied with a fairly concrete, "Absolutely not. I don't know why Uwe Boll is even talking about this kind of thing. We never talked to him. It's impossible that we'd ever do a movie with him."

In other Uwe Boll news, it appears the good doctor is not too upset about his recent Razzie nod for Worst Director. Speaking to Eurogamer, the filmmaker called it "a great honor." He explained, "I take every prize I get."

In addition to the semi-announcements made in its quarterly conference call, Activision of course also announced its earnings for the quarter. The publisher saw a 20% increase in revenue from the same period of the prior fiscal year, up to $816.2M. However, actual earnings were 30% down to $67.9M from $97.3M last year. The increased sales met estimates but earnings were significantly below. Activision cited "weaker than expected market conditions" as a primary factor in the results, which come days after EA announced similar profit drops.

Following the announcements, Activision stock dropped 7% to $13.30.

Steve mentioned Wired's Vaporware Awards in ER, but I'm mentioning them here too because there are a couple console games on there. #6 is Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (GCN), which was delayed from a holiday season 2006 release to some time in 2006. Blizzard's Starcraft: Ghost (PS2, Xbox) came in at #5 due to its three years of delays, swapped developers, and dropped Cube version. Infinium Labs' trusty Phantom Gaming Service console made #2, with executives on a revolving door policy and more delays than anyone can count. #1 wasn't a console game, and I don't even think I need to say what it is.

IGN has a video interview with Sony Bend's Chris Reese on Syphon Filter Dark Mirror (PSP).

I'll have a full writeup of this in tomorrow's LNC, but for you morning LNC readers, here's a quick edit. Nintendo has updated its web page with details on a redesigned Nintendo DS system that is smaller and lighter than the original. It will go on sale March 2 in Japan for a price of 16,800 yen, or $146. The full English announcement is here. There are no details of a North American or European launch date or price.

Konami made a variety of announcements at its annual press event today, and here they are:

A collector's edition DVD called Metal Gear Saga will be given to those who preorder Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2) starting in mid-February. The disc will include a variety of documentary content, including an interview with series creator Hideo Kojima as well as concept art and "making of" information. It also has a chronological summary of the five main Metal Gear games to date. GameSpot has a preview here.

Konami is developing a strategy game for DS and PSP entitled Steel Horizon. The game will feature both realtime and turn-based elements, and in addition to a single-player campaign will also support local wireless multiplayer. There was no word on whether online functionality would be included.

A few details were revealed regarding the mysterious Metal Gear B.D., the "interactive comic" project heading to PSP. It will be illustrated by Ashley Wood, who worked on the Metal Gear Solid comic as well as covers for Todd McFarlane's Spawn. Metal Gear series head Hideo Kojima and producer Noriaki Okamura will handle writing. The comic will feature animated elements and sound, as well as unspecified interactive elements.

Konami is currently developing a DS RPG entitled Tao's Adventure: Curse of the Demon Seal. A magician named Tao must save his home from falling under a deadly curse. The game has realtime 3D models and environments on the top screen with the interface and map on the touch screen. The game will be released this March.

In addition to Metal Gear B.D., Konami will also be producing an interactive comic-type project based on the Silent Hill franchise. It will be based on the upcoming film rather than an existing game, and will be illustrated by Steve Perkins and Alex Shibao. The UMD will also include stills from the film and games, as well as interviews with the film's crew and other content.

A collection of the Gradius side-scrolling shooter games will be heading to PSP. It will contain Gradius, Gradius II, Gradius III, Gradius IV, and the new-to-US Gradius Gaiden. It will arrive this spring.

Konami will be bringing a Live-enabled poker game to Xbox. All-In Poker will include five types of poker as well as various tutorial modes and online options. It will ship in March.

Leviathan Games is working on Konami Chess Battle, a chess game for PSP that will feature some kind of story mode as well as local and online wireless play. The game will hit stores this fall.

The Xbox 360 may not be seeing much in the way of new retail releases, but its excellent Live Arcade service shows no sign of slowing down. Originally scheduled for a Februrary release, GarageGames' Marble Blast Ultra has appeared for download early. The game is available for 800 marketplace points, equivalent to $10.

Various sites recently reported on "confirmation" that Microsoft has abandoned its efforts to support Xbox games on Xbox 360 for a few months. IGN, however, has received official word from Microsoft that this is in fact not the case. The backwards compatibility team is apparently still at work, but the statement given to IGN had no estimate as to when further updates would arrive.

Infinium Labs, the company behind perennial vaporware Phanton Gaming Service and what appears to be the more tangible Phantom Lapboard, announced that it has somehow obtained a $5M investment from Golden Gate Investors. In case you are worried that this would mean the end of Phantom jokes, however, fear not; that $5M is going towards launching the Phantom Lapboard portable keyboard/mouse package, not the console itself. Gamasutra points out that the company "has recurring losses from inception of $57,570,723, has a working capital deficiency of $10,085,662, a stockholders deficiency of $9,470,271 and has a negative cash flow from operations of $14,888,265 from inception." That along with all of the practical costs involved with launching a new system suggests we'll be waiting for the Phantom for a while yet to come.

GameSpot has a rumor from a former employee at Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude (PS2, Xbox, PC) developer High Voltage Games that publisher Vivendi Universal has dropped the Larry franchise and two in-development Larry titles. Apparently, another home console game was in development as well as a PSP spinoff title. After checking with the company's VP of creative content Eric Nofsinger, the site received an official confirmation that two games from the same (unnamed) series were recently cancelled.

Leisure Suit Larry began his life in a graphic adventure called Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards (PC), designed by Al Lowe at Sierra On-Line. Lowe designed five more main entries in the series before the set of legal shenanigans that led to Sierra ceasing to exist as an autonomous company. Vivendi, the current owner of Sierra's huge library of intellectual property, released Magna Cum Laude--a mini-game-driven game with more in common with modern teen comedies than the relatively more charming innuendo of the earlier games--in 2004 to middling critical reception. Lowe publically expressed his frustration with the direction taken by Vivendi and High Voltage.

The state of West Virginia is moving forward with a plan to outfit its public schools with Dance Dance Revolution setups. The state has one of the worst obesity rates in a country where obesity is already seen as an increasingly worrying issue. State officials hope that by providing schools with the option to use DDR as an in-school exercise method, students with an aversion to sports or other physical education activities will be more willing to stay in shape.

West Virginia's 157 middle schools will receive copies of the game first, to be followed by the remainder of the state's 753 public schools in the next three years. The overall cost of the project is $500,000, with DDR publisher Konami donating $75,000. Oddly enough, the article says that the cost of each individual package--containing a console (likely a PS2), two or more pads, and the game--is $740. That seems a bit excessive considering the same products could be picked up at retail for well under half that.

Ben Andac, a professed anti-Nintendo sort of guy for most of his life, shares his opinions on why Nintendo has the right idea for the next generation in The Man Who Was Tomorrow. By the way, if you happen to like the revolutionary WaChe design in that article's banner, t-shifts featuring the emblem are available from the Idle Thumbs Company Store.

Keith Schofield, a music video director whose work tends to encourage being sent around the internet, has filmed a video for a band called Wintergreen; it's all about the infamous E.T. licensed Atari game. Informative!

Perhaps you've heard about the stricter regulation on "booth babes" this year at E3. Personally, I'm rather glad about it. E3 is in many ways a big stupid circus, and the more that's done to reverse that, the better. If you need more convincing, here's a good editorial on the subject by Next Generation.

If you read this site, you are surely aware that Microsoft has just launched its next-gen console, Xbox 360, in North America. But hey, it's the news: Microsoft has launched Xbox 360 in North America. While those hopefuls who managed to get their hands on the consoles seem pretty pleased, it seems that even months of anticipating widespread shortages still didn't accurately represent the difficulty faced by most gamers trying to purchase a 360. Nationwide reports indicated extremely limited availability of the machine, with some stores receiving only a few units and apparently some receiving none at all (yet). Ebay auctions have consoles selling for thousands of dollars, and there have even been accounts of violence, with a few shoppers being mugged and stores being subjected to armed robbery. I spoke with a local EB Games representative who informed me that one local branch of the chain had most of its stock of Xbox 360s stolen prior to the official launch.

It's certainly nothing unusual for a console launch to be fraught with shortages, but this one seems a bit more extreme than is frequently the case. The console's extreme scarcity is no doubt due to several factors. For one thing, the machine uses new and not yet widely available tech, ensuring that production yields will be somewhat bottlenecked no matter what. Furthermore, Microsoft is attempting to supply most of the world (with the odd exception of certain territories such as Australia) with Xbox 360 consoles with a short two-week window, meaning their stock must further divided; generally, consoles take months to ship to that many locations worldwide. Finally, there's the simple fact that the number of gaming is growing, and with it grows the demand for such major products as a next-generation console.

Microsoft has pledged that, despite a rather underwhelming initial launch shipment, shelves will be replenished regularly into 2006.

With the Xbox 360 now theoretically available, Arik Hesseldahl of Business Week has an article detailing the estimated costs that go into the production of the machine. Based on research of the individual parts making up the console, Hesseldahl figures that each hard drive-equipped system costs about $525 to manufacture, including bundled parts such as cables and controllers. This leaves Microsoft with a loss per unit of about $125 with a suggested retail price of $399.99. Selling consoles at a loss during the launch period is nothing new; Microsoft did it last generation, as do most console manufacturers with the notable exception of Nintendo. During the Xbox generation, and at least at the moment during the generation launched with the 360, Microsoft's immediate goal is not to make a profit but to narrow the gap between it and Sony at any cost. After all, Xbox Vice President and Chief XNA Architect J Allard has stated that his driving goal in the games industry is the thought of PlayStation boss Ken Kutaragi's resignation letter framed on his wall.

By contrast, both Sony and Nintendo are more reliant on the profitability of their gaming divisions; most of Sony's non-gaming divisions are currently not in the best of shape, and Nintendo has no other major non-gaming divisions to absorb financial losses.

Nintendo has sent out a press release stating that in Mario Kart DS' first week of availability, almost half of its users have taken the game online via Nintendo's just-launched wi-fi gaming service. Of the approximately 112,000 Mario Kart DS owners in the United States, about 52,000, or 45%, have accessed Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The numbers are good news for Nintendo, which recently announced that it hopes to see an online attempt rate of 90% among owners of online-capable DS games. Currently, only two such games are available, the other being Vicarious Visions' Tony Hawk's American Sk8land. Next month, Nintendo plans to ship Animal Crossing: Wild World and in early 2006, Metroid Prime: Hunters, both online-enabled.

Curtis Jackson, the rapper known as 50 Cent, spoke to Reuters today about the recently-released video game based on his persona, Genuine Games' 50 Cent: Bulletproof (PS2, Xbox, PSP). The game is rated M for Mature, meaning it is intended only for gamers above the age of 17, but Jackson said, "Just because it is rated mature doesn't mean you shouldn't buy it for your kids. Play the game and explain to them what they are playing." The article notes that Jackson himself has a nine-year-old son; he further noted, "I think everyone knows that a game is a game. There's the part where you actually press start on the controller--after that you are playing a game." He also pointed out that popular culture in general is filled with violence, and that video games should not be singled out. In conclusion, buy 50 Cent: Bulletproof for your children.

The niche hit Monster Hunter series (PS2) is making its way to PSP. Previously rumored, the game has now been confirmed as Monster Hunter Freedom (PSP). The franchise is an action/adventure/RPG-ish affair that has players--rather obviously--hunt monsters and complete various quests in a fantasy world. The game will feature local wi-fi multiplayer battle and trading modes; it was not specified whether it will go online.

At Nintendo's most recent press summit, held yesterday and today, outspoken Nintendo PR VP Reggie Fils-Aime outlined the state of the gaming industry today, and explained Nintendo's short- and long-term strategies to deal with it. His talk is actually worth reading or watching whether you have any interest in Nintendo or not, just for his industry overview, which reveals some sobering facts regarding the growth (or lack of growth) of actual household console ownership growth and interest in games.

Fils-Aime also explained Nintendo's business strategy under current president Satoru Iwata. For those with an interest in the industry's history, it is a markedly different approach than the one taken by former president Hiroshi Yamauchi, who ran the company with a very strong-willed approach that directly challenged its competitors. Iwata and his newer executives, such as Fils-Aime, are proponents of the so-called "Blue Ocean" strategy which, rather than compete on the same ground as competitors, seeks to create new market space and new demand which is unaddressed by its competitors. Nintendo is following a two-pronged approach, currently best exhibited by DS, which with games such as Nintendogs and Brain Training has created new gaming demographics untapped by Nintendo's competitors. The other side of the strategy is to cater to the core gaming audience, best demonstrated by the strange (for Nintendo) focus on FPS gaming constantly referred to by Iwata, and which is coming in the form of offerings like Metroid Prime Hunters (DS) and the Revolution controller. Iwata claims the controller offers the best FPS control yet.

The presentation offers some interesting insights into why Nintendo does things the way it does, which is sometimes criticized as being out of step with the industry. Nintendo refers to such initiatives as "disruptive technologies," and recent comments by Iwata seem to indicate the company realizes it failed to achieve that goal with Gamecube. DS and particularly Revolution mark much more conscious and focused attempts at creating "disruptive technologies." DS has already achieved a surprisingly high degree of success, and Revolution has garnered plenty of positive developer response (Fils-Aime cites statements from a surprisingly wide range of major publishers), but is that enough to open up the market as wide as Nintendo hopes? It looks like 2006 will be the year to watch.

IGN has video and a full transcript of Reggie Fils-Aime's address, though the transcript does not include the presentation's graphs and written quotes.

It looks like the recent rumors that Mother 3 (essentially the sequel to Earthbound [SNES], which was the English localization of Shigesato Itoi's Mother 2) would be developed for DS are false. The game does exist, however, but it will be on Game Boy Advance. Series creator Shigesato Itoi revealed the news on his website yesterday, and the announcement was quickly translated by a fan at Starmen.net. The announcement comes after Itoi's recent cryptic notes that he is working on a secret project referred to only as "it."

Itoi explained in yesterday's announcement that he had no desire to reveal the game until it was quite far along in development, and after discussion with Nintendo he decided that it is now safe to say the game is approaching completion. According to the translation, the final release is "about one season away." With the exception of this news, he plans to continue staying quiet about the game until it ships. "I know the importance of publicity, but what I feel is that I want players to REALLY enjoy Mother 3," he stated.

Note: for the skeptical, a Babelfish translation results in a hilariously ridiculous text, but one which does corroborate the fan translation. (This news comes via Joystiq.)

To help promote the the release of SCEJ's Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) in Europe early next year, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe will be re-releasing the acclaimed but commercially overlooked action/adventure title Ico (PS2); both games were headed up by designer Fumito Ueda. Europe's original release of Ico was a very limited run, greatly inflating the price of used PAL copies of the game. Both games are expected for release in February 2006.

North American gamers looking to acquire a new copy of Ico shouldn't get their hopes up, however. With the game having received a much wider release in North America and with Shadow already released, it seems unlikely Sony would feel that there is enough demand to justify a reissue.

If you've got a PSP and you feel the need to play PSP games on your TV using a PS2 controller (for example, if you don't have a PS2 but do have a PS2 controller), well now you can. Importer Lik-Sang is selling a PSP TV Adapter Kit for $119.90, and has also thoughtfully posted a page detailing just how the installation works. It's a good thing they did, because there's quite a bit of disassembly required. The PSP must be cracked open and its faceplate replaced with a different one that allows the console to fit the adapter. In the end, you're left with a PSP that outputs to composite video and accepts a DualShock2 controller.

It looks like the Xbox 360 confirmed launch titles are finally starting to slowly trickle in. Take Two has announced that Indie Built's Amped 3 (X360) should be making it to launch day of Microsoft's upcoming next-gen console. With no 360 port of EA Canada's SSX On Tour (PS2, Xbox, GCN, PSP) planned, Amped 3 looks to be the unchallenged on the 360 in the snowboarding segment. Those who preorder the game at participating major retailers will receive a soundtrack CD for the game.

Idle Thumbs' Marek Bronstring chats it up with Jonathan Hayes, visual designer of the Xbox 360 and its user interface. The article also takes a look at a bunch of prototype designs for the console and its controller, ranging from quite bad to...a little bit bad.

IGN has a video interview on EA Canada's Need For Speed Most Wanted (PS2, Xbox, GCN, X360, DS, PSP, GBA, PC).

Game Informer has an interview with Jeremy Strouser, senior producer on EA Tiburon's Madden NFL 06 (X360, also PS2, Xbox, GCN, DS, PSP, GBA, PC).

Numerous sources are reporting on a story in the latest issue of Official PlayStation Magazine, revealing that Sony will be sticking to its guns and not providing a central online service for its next-generation PlayStation 3 console. The strategy is the same that it employed with the PS2, which required each publisher to set up its own online account system. Sony cited freedom for developers and publishers as a significant reason for the renewed decision. This is, of course, a markedly different approach than that taken by Microsoft with its much-lauded Xbox Live service, about to go into its second incarnation with the launch of Xbox 360. Nintendo, too, will be providing a central online gaming service with its Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, a service which launches November 14 for Nintendo DS and at a later date for Nintendo Revolution.

The news comes as little surprise, as Sony officials have over the last several months suggested on multiple occasions they would choose to pursue a similar route to that of PS2.

Sony has reason to believe its online strategy is worth keeping; PS2's online services had more registered users than Xbox Live did in this generation. However, this is largely due to the PS2's overwhelming higher install base than either of its two competitors. Proportionally speaking, Xbox had a better overall online adoption percentage, with estimates suggesting that about 10% of Xbox owners played on Xbox Live. It is also worth noting that Sony's online option is free at the basic level, allowing publishers to set their own charges if desired, whereas Xbox Live charges a monthly fee.

In any case, each of the three companies is taking a very different approach to online in the next generation: Sony, with a completely unregulated system, Microsoft, with a paid and heavily regulated system, and Nintendo, with a free and regulated system.

For those of you hoping to finally see what all the fuss is about regarding Nintendo's Brain Training (DS) software, which owned the sales charts for months in Japan and along with Nintendogs (DS) helped the sales of Nintendo's portable greatly, you're in luck. Nintendo will be translating Brain Training as well as the followup Brain Flex (DS) will be localized for North America and Europe. The titles, particularly popular with adult users, contain a plethora of increasingly difficult mini-games designed to stimulate and "exercise" the mind. It appears people are quite into it.

There is currently no release date for the software.

Nintendo also updated its release list for the next several months to include dates for such titles as the real-time strategy/pinball/hamburger title Yoot Saito's Odama (GCN) (seriously, you guys have to see this), Metroid Prime: Hunters (DS), Super Princess Peach (DS), Tales of Phantasia (GBA), and True Swing Golf (DS).

Nintendo's outspoken executive marketing VP Reggie Fils-Aimes confirmed today that the company will be bringing its Famicom-styled Game Boy Micro to the US (and, presumably, the rest of North America?) on November 28. The unit, which will be called the 20th Anniversary Edition Game Boy Micro, is by far and away the best-selling version of the console in Japan, accounting for fully 60% of Micro sales in that country when the machine launched in September.

The package will retail for $99.99, like its solid-color brethren, and will also include a $10 voucher towards the purchase of certain GBA titles.

It seems that a Japanese pop singer known as Gackt (he claims his full name is Camui M. S. Gackt, and that he was born July 4, 1540, though we're not sure his bank would agree) will not only be performing a song in Square Enix's upcoming Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII (PS2), he will actually appear in the game along with vampiric main character Vincent Valentine. The game is just one of several recently released or announced spin-offs of Square's classic Final Fantasy VII (PS1). This one takes place about a year after the events of the recently released in Japan CGI film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and is apparently a gun-oriented action RPG, in keeping with its lead character. The scene featuring Mr. Valentine and Mr. Gackt will apparently combine live action footage with CGI.

Dirge of Cerberus is expected to ship some time in 2006.

IGN has a paraphrased interview from Japanese publication Dorimaga with Sega designer Yu Suzuki, head of the new AM Plus dev studio.

If there's anything that makes me want to buy a video game console, it's people jumping rope.

...for the Gizmondo. Sorry. Tiger Telematics today revealed the full list of titles to be available for its portable Gizmondo console when the system launches in just a few days. The launch games include: SSX3, FIFA Soccer 2005, Trailblazer, Point of Destruction, and Sticky Balls. Yes, Sticky Balls. I've actually heard it's one of the better Gizmondo titles, but just think: if I were ever to cover that game in LNC, it would be referred to as "Sticky Balls (GIZ)." I think we should all just reflect on that for a moment. Right. Moving on.

Chris Morris, content director for CNN/Money and a Shacker, slammed the Gizmondo's launch in an uncharacteristically harsh editorial today, noting that "the product lacks focus, suffers from numerous flaws and carries an insultingly high price tag." What kind of price tag? Well, $229, and that's with a built-in advertising service that sends the user video ads a few times a day to subsidize the system's cost. They must be watched before the system will turn off. Morris also lists a $399 model sans ads, but GameSpot is reporting that while Tiger does plan to offer a $399 edition of the device, plans to remove its advertising service have been cancelled. Instead, it comes with Gizmondo Navigator 2006, which uses the system's built-in GPS capability to give street directions. Navigator costs $169 if purchased separately, so the $399 bundle doesn't actually save any money; in fact, it costs a dollar more.

Morris finishes off his analysis by concluding, "Somewhere at Nokia, someone's feeling pretty good about the N-Gage's launch all of a sudden." Me? I have a few things to say about the N-Gage.

If you hate analyst reports, just stop reading now, because I'm going to mention some. Fair warning, ok? If you keep reading this and are angered by the presence of analyst reports, it's your own fault. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Various analysts seem to have come to a concensus that Microsoft will be shipping about 1.5 million units of the Xbox 360 worldwide when the system launches over a two week period starting November 22. Banc of America is maintaining an estimate of 1.4M to 1.6M units, while UBS Securities recently lowered its expectations from 2.5M to 1.5M. This news comes on the heels of various rumors of shortages (and falsified shortages) as well as comments by Microsoft representatives such as Peter Moore and J Allard that suggest Microsoft is experiencing more problems than anticipated with the worldwide almost-simultaneous launch. This is the first time a major home console will have been released to all territories in such a narrow time frame.

The reports seem to agree that North America will receive about 800,000 of the available units, Europe 400,000-600,000, and Japan 100,000-200,000. A guy named Olly Dean claims to have spoken to a variety of retail proprietors, indicating that many UK shops will only be receiving four units upon launch, two premium and two core consoles. He and gaming news site Joystiq seem to think the UK will only be getting 100,000 of Europe's allotment.

Following up on yesterday's announcement by Nintendo of America that McDonald's would be providing free wi-fi access points for DS users, Nintendo of Canada has announced similar partnerships. Nintendo will be partnering with internet provider FatPort to bring Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection access points to locations in Canada where FatPort already has internet connections set up (users connecting with a DS will not have to pay for access). These locations include various branches of Boston Pizza, Bread Garden Bakery and Cafe, Seattle's Best Coffee, Joey Tomato's, White Spot, and a variety of hotels and inns. A full list is available here.

It's been known for some time that next month's Metroid Prime Pinball (DS) would feature a Rumble Pak housed in a Game Boy Advance cartridge, but until now no other games have been announced that will support the peripheral. Well, it seems that it may be used in Metroid Prime: Hunters (DS), the upcoming FPS which was recently delayed to add online support. The news comes by way of someone claiming to be one of the game's developers.

If this rumor is true, it will be interesting to see if any third party developers add rumble functionality to their DS games.

Sega Sammy, the company formed by the recent merger of two of Japan's top publishers, has acquired a controlling stake in TMS Entertainment, Ltd., a Japanese animation studio, effectively making TMS a subsidiary. The studio will most likely be used to produce animations based on Sega properties.

Sega has been taking an interest in animation lately. The publisher recently announced that it is establishing a CG studio that will handle both in-house games and third party projects. That studio is set to open next March.

Do you want a copy of EA's Madden NFL 2006? This guy is selling his copy on eBay. The auction begins: "Hello stupid! Yes, I'm talking to you, the guy interested in buying this piece of garbage game from Electronic Arts for the 800th time so you can have updated rosters." He's including NFL 2K5 and two months of Xbox Live, "to ensure that the winner actually walks away 'winning' something."

More rumors about the Nintendo Revolution controller, which comes as a big surprise is no longer surprising at all. However, these are a little more substantial than most, and they don't involve a 15-year-old with a trial version of Maya.

Matthew Gallant of Computer Games Magazine has posted news stating that the controller does in fact use some sort of tilt sensor. However, it seems to go a bit further than prior implimentations in gaming, as Gallant states that it "will provide resistance to being tilted" by way of balanced weights (Revolution: system of choice for driving games?). He claims that the delay in showing the controller publicly is in fact due to Nintendo's attempt to ensure the controller can achieve this feat wirelessly, while not consuming an inordinate amount of battery power and while staying cost-effective.

Furthermore, a few sources have reported some encouraging words from the mouth of that wacky Peter Molyneux. The designer, quoted at last week's Leipzig Games Convention, stated that "There is a line at the end of the book 'Game Over' and it is: 'Never underestimate Nintendo'. That is all I can say about the controller." Not much in the way of explanation, but if nothing else it confirms that people have in fact seen the thing and it might not be unremarkable or ludicrous.

Not long after announcing that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess has been delayed until 2006, Nintendo has announced that Metroid Prime: Hunters (DS) has also been delayed until next year. Unlike Zelda, however, this one is quoted as a First Quarter release. The news comes as a slight disappointment at first, but since most news outlets are speculating that the reason for the delay is to add online functionality, it becomes more of a blessing than anything else. The DS still has a more-than-solid lineup for the remainder of 2005, and Metroid and New Super Mario Bros. should do well to ring in 2006.

For some reason, a whole lot of Nintendo news surfaced today, both official announcements and rumors. Here's the rest:

Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball (GCN) is absent from Nintendo's newly-updated 2005 release list. The game was present at this year's E3, but since then it's been drifting farther and farther off the radar. Don't be too surprised if it ends up canned.

The DS sequel to Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA) has just received its final name: Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. The game ships November 28.

Similarly to the presence of Mario, Luigi, and Peach in the GameCube version of NBA Street V3, rumor has it that those same three characters might make a playable appearance in the GameCube version of the upcoming SSX On Tour. Both games are published by EA.

Nintendo announced an update to their Play-Yan media player for GBA and DS--again, only for Japan. The device goes on sale at the same time as Game Boy Micro on September 13, and is appropriately named Play-Yan Micro. The device will feature native MP4 support (the old one required a patch) as well as interface improvements. Oddly, it no longer supports the extremely basic downloadable minigames featured in the previous version.

The upcoming Metroid Prime Pinball (DS) will apparently ship with a rumble pack upon its October 24 release. The main game will of course plug into the standard DS game slot, while the rumble pack itself will plug into the GBA slot. It is unknown whether other games will support the rumble feature.

Well, actually, due to a hand injury, he has someone type for him. Anyway, Microsoft's J Allard has participated in an online chat session, in which he fielded questions from gamers regarding the upcoming Xbox 360. Not surprisingly, most of the questions pertained to the recently-announced tiered price structure of the console. There was little new information revealed; most of the questions merely provided a platform for Allard to justify the company's retail approach. However, it's an interesting read and gives some perspective on Microsoft's position.

Mergers and acquisitions are all the rage in the Japanese games industry these days, what with Square and Enix, Sega and Sammy, and Bandai and Namco. Square Enix, formed from the two RPG giants in 2003, is now looking to add a third to their duo in the form of longtime arcade game studio/publisher Taito Corporation. Taito is best known for classics like Bubble Bobble, Space Invaders, Arkanoid, Bust-a-Move (praise be) and the like, which is a far cry from Square Enix's RPG-dominated history. By contrast, both Square and Enix were renowned for their blockbuster epic sagas, making their merger more natural. However, it also puts the publisher at risk of having too narrow a focus; the $610M bid to acquire Taito is one step to broaden its portfolio.

Participants in Majesco and Microsoft's Advent Rising (Xbox, PC) contest on Xbox Live will be disappointed to know that the $1M sweepstakes has been cancelled. However, they might be pleased to learn that as a consolation prize the companies are giving away Majesco-published games to those who entered the contest. Your Advent Rising UPC and participating Live Gamertag gets you two of the following games: Psychonauts, Bloodrayne 2, Guilty Gear X2 #Reload, Psychonauts, Raze's Hell, Phantom Dust, or Psychonauts. Please note that one of the games being offered is Psychonauts.

For more information, consult the official contest site.

Publisher Atari has announced that Saber Interactive's TimeShift, its upcoming timewarping FPS for Xbox and PC, will now be headed to Xbox 360 as well. The 360 and PC versions are due next spring, but oddly enough the Xbox version is not cancelled; rather, it is scheduled for release next summer. This comes as something of a surprise, as post 360 development support for the original Xbox has been rather sparse.

Tyler Sigman of Digital Eclipse talks with Next Generation about adapting Age of Empires to Nintendo DS. GameSpot also has a similar interview (this one's a video!).

Ren Reynolds reports on the 2005 Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival for Gamasutra.

Gamasutra catches up with David Siller, who has worked on such franchises as Crash Bandicoot, Maximo, Freaky Flyers, and others.

Hitesh Patel of Maryland retailer Pandora's Cube has been given four months of jail time for selling modified Xboxes in the store, some including preloaded pirated games. The systems were sold for up to $500. Patel pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit felony copyright infringement and violation of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act. Hot tip for people planning to sell illegally modified merchandise: don't advertise it openly on your show floor.

Though, as usual, Nintendo will not be making a corporate appearance at September's Tokyo Game Show, president Satoru Iwata will give a keynote address at the event, following Microsoft's Robbie Bach. This will be the second time Iwata has presented a keynote at TGS. It's nice to think he might let out something substantial about the Revolution, but given Nintendo's continued absence from the conference as well as their generally secretive nature, it seems unlikely.

An Electronic Arts press release revealed today that the publishing giant's fiscal first quarter net revenue has dropped to $365M, a 16% decrease from last year's first quarter net of $432M. This year they had an overall net loss of $58M, as compared with last year's net income of $24M. The company was sure to point out that Battlefield 2 and Medal of Honor: European Assault each surpassed one million units, but only having two platinum sellers is unusual for EA.

Electronic Arts is now the owner of development studio Hyponotix, the company behind the Outlaw [Golf, Volleyball, Tennis] games. Assumedly they were lured from Take-Two with the promise of bags and bags of money. Almost all of the team has now signed with EA and has moved to Orlando, Florida as part of EA Tiburon, where they will assume development of EA's upcoming exclusively licensed Arena Football League game.

Sony released version 2.00 of the PSP's firmware in Japan, giving the device web browser functionality, additional audio and video format support, and allowing access to the company's new downloadable video content service. What matters to you is that the update contains an English-language version as well and is freely downloadable from Sony's PSP site. Even without knowledge of Japanese, the pictographic instructions should make it fairly clear how to get it onto your little black box. And once you do, you can take Shack with you wherever you go (except for all those places that don't have wireless routers) thanks to PDAShack. Everybody wins. Except people without PSPs or computers.

A public beta of GCARS-CS has been released. The program acts as a cheat device but more importantly as an online enabler for multiplayer GameCube games that don't support online play (that is, pretty much all of them). You'll need the official broadband adapter for the Cube as well as a way to load files onto the console, such as this. I haven't tried it yet, though the possibility of online Smash and Pikmin 2 causes instant salivation. One might assume that lag might be an issue, as Cube games are clearly not optomized for network play.

A woman who purchased San Andreas for her grandson is so upset that she inadvertently gave the boy an Adults Only game that she is launching a class-action lawsuit on behalf of consumers. The suit accuses Rockstar and publisher Take-Two Interactive of "false advertising, consumer deception, and unfair business practices". Well, another day, another GTA lawsuit.

Ok, bad pun. Anyway, according to many sources on the internet, Sega is developing a sequel to Feel the Magic: XY/XX, the WarioWare-esque DS title. Very few details are available other than the excellent translated title of "Where Do Babies Come From?"

Nintendo too has another DS game in the works, unsurprisingly. All we know is that it might possibly be called "Rotate and Connect Touch Panic". Go figure.

Game Informer has posted an interview with Nick Davies, design manager of Project Gotham Racing 3 for Xbox 360. Digital Media Thoughts has impressions of Xbox 360's media capabilities, gathered by chance at a closed-doors Windows Vista preview. On Computer And Video Games there is an interview with Metroid Prime lead Kensuke Tanabe and Metroid Prime: Hunters designer Richard Vorodi. 1UP brings us an interview with Need For Speed Most Wanted senior producer Larry LaPierre.

The first title to use the Game Share function of the PSP will be Namco Museum. While Sony has yet to officially address the purpose of the function, the user manual hosted on their site explains, "GAME SHARING - You can play games that support Game Sharing. For details refer to the software manual supplied with the game." The way Namco Museum will use this is by allowing a certain set of games to be sent wirelessly to users who don't own the game. It is not used for any kind of multiplayer purpose, just to share the game.

EBgames.com is at it again, adding a new game to their online catalog before it was officially announced. This time it's for Metroid Pinball DS. The only detail given aside from the title is a December 12 release date. Nintendo has no comment at the time. I think if there's ever a Nintendo character to use for a pinball game, Samus would be it. However, it still doesn't make it right.

Two trademarks were filed in Japan by Nintendo in the past few months and both leave much room for speculation. First is simply PCGP. The trademark was made with Game Freak, the company behind the Pokemon series, so it could be related to that. The more telling, or maybe interesting, trademark was for the Nintendo V-Pocket. According to GameSpot, it covers "covers portable LCD game machines and adapters that allow for the display of images and audio recorded on memory cards."

Jesper Kyd and Sumthing Else Music Works are teaming up to release the soundtrack of Robotech: Invasion. It will go on sale February 15 alongside the Fable soundtrack.

The websites for EBgames and GameStop updated their listings for Metroid Prime: Hunters, giving the FPS a release date in August. While Nintendo hasn't ever gone on record with a date, it was anticipated for release sometime in the first half of 2005. No official word from Nintendo is available.

Microsoft announced today their next Game with Fame event. Between the hours of 5 and 6pm EST, gamers can challenge New York Knicks strong forward Jerome Williams to a game of ESPN NBA 2K5. He'll be using the gamertag "jyd31knicks."

GameSpot talks with developer Takai Homma about Tekken 5.

Japan's most popular RPG series will send its latest and greatest overseas to the United States sometime this year. Square Enix quietly updated their release calendar recently and fans quickly noticed the addition of Dragon Quest VIII. Not much else is known, but a Square Enix representative did confirm to EuroGamer that the game is coming to North America. A European release is undecided at this moment.

Last week, we learned about a Mario Dream Team to be included with the GameCube version of NBA Street V3; well now today, EuroGamer has discovered another pact between Nintendo and Electronic Arts. The GCN version of Fight Night Round 2 will have, as an unlockable, Super Punch-Out!!, the SNES follow-up to Mike Tyson's Punch-Out. The game is due out for all three home consoles on March 21.

For the readers down under, Nintendo revealed that they plan to ship their newest handheld, the Nintendo DS, to Australian stores for availability on February 24. Like the US version, it'll have PictoChat and a demo of Metroid Prime: Hunters included. It'll sell for $199.95. Nintendo will reveal their launch lineup in the near future.

Do you use a PAL PS2? Well, get ready, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan announced a new EyeToy game for PAL territories. It's called EyeToy: Monkey Mania and it features the hat-wearing monkeys from Ape Escape. It supports up to four players as they make their way through mini-games that involve eating bananas, playing music, participating in a snowball fight, and many other scenarios. It's set for a spring release; no indication has been made if it will come stateside.

Gamers can now log on and purchase three new games for use within Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade. The three games are Zuma, Alien Sky, and Astropop. Zuma is $19.99 whereas the other two are $9.99.

FileFront talks with a producer that worked on Mortal Kombat: Deception. GamesAreFun translates bits and pieces of an interview with Tsuyoshi Tanaka, producer of the Devil May Cry games.

One of the most powerful franchises in gaming will find a new home on the PSP. Rockstar announced that PSP versions of Grand Theft Auto and Midnight Club 3 are on the way to the PSP, to be made available near the US/Europe hardware launch. Rockstar Leeds will be taking the lead (harr) on the development of the two games. The only detail available about GTA PSP is that it will be based in Liberty City.

Rockstar Leeds was formerly known as Mobius Entertainment and developed a port of Max Payne for the GBA. "We are working very closely with Rockstar North and Rockstar San Diego to ensure that both Grand Theft Auto and Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition remain faithful to the initial vision of these respective franchises," said president of Rockstar Leeds, Gordon Hall.

Nintendo gave hard dates and left others up in the air in their latest update to their release calendar. On the DS side, WarioWare Touched! will be available February 14 and Pokemon Dash on March 14. Star Fox: Assault is also pegged on February 14. March 21 will see the release of WarioWare Twisted (GBA) and Mario Party Advance (GBA) a week later.

However, Nintendo was pretty vague on its higher profile titles. No information was given regarding the releases of the new Legend of Zelda for GameCube, Metroid Prime: Hunters (NDS), and DS versions of Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, and Advance Wars. See the entire lineup here.

EuroGamer has been keeping their eyes and ears open and all signs are pointing to an exclusive release of a 24 game to the PS2. Supposedly the game is in develop by Sony's Cambridge Studio, who in the past developed Medieval, Primal, and Ghost Hunter. No concrete details are available, but the game should be ready for the holiday season later this year.

Namco plans to port the original PSone Tekken game to the PS2 and will bundle it with the upcoming Tekken 5. It's not clear if it'll be a remake or a straight port, but it's a nice bonus nonetheless. The game is currently planned for release in the winter of 2005.

1Up chats with Pandemic Studios' Cameron Brown about the development of Mercenaries. GameSpot talks with the executive producer of Untold Legend: Brotherhood of the Blade and a dev on both NBA Street Showdown and Need for Speed Underground Rivals. Finally, they speak with Marc Ecko about his game, Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure. Oh wait, one more! Product manager associated with Forza Motorsport.

A combination I never dreamed of seeing, Konami and Nintendo are teaming up to develop Dance Dance Revolution with Mario. Not very many details are available at this time, but it is said the game will be stuffed with mini-games. More news is expected when it is unveiled at the World Hobby Fair 2005.

Not long ago, Xbox gamers were given the opportunity to purchase a map pack for Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow. Well, Ubisoft released a patch for the game to fix a few multiplayer glitches and with it were included the two maps River Mall and Federal Bank. They were included at no extra cost and can be downloaded now.

If you were worried you weren't going to get another helping of your favorite (and only) rugby game, fret no longer. EA Sports announced that the series will live on. The graphics engine has been completely upgraded and there will be a "Rugby 101" training mode. The press release made no mention of any sort of online gameplay. It'll release for the PS2, Xbox, and PC sometime in the spring.

According to GameGossip, State of Emergency 2 has been delayed from an early 2005 release to sometime in the summer. ... Sega Europe announced that it plans to release Blood Will Tell in the European territories. ... Now here's something cool. This is the webpage of Ben Heck, a gentleman that loves to take consoles and convert them into portable units. You can even buy one!

GameSpot has a Q&A with Microsoft's "software boss" Cameron Ferroni. GamesAreFun summarizes an interview that EDGE magazine did with Yuji Naka of Sonic Team. Another Mercenaries Q&A can be found at Gamersinfo.net.