Get the full article at GameSpot

Ratings software board listings point to the arcade basketball title releasing on high-def consoles as well as Wii.

An ESPN report in early January gave gamers the first wind of a new NBA Jam title. The article said the title would be a Wii exclusive --something publisher Electronic Arts later confirmed--but now the Entertainment Software Ratings Board is speaking otherwise, asserting the title will also arrive on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Boom-shaka-laka might also apply to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The ESRB, which organizes and classifies software in the United States and Canada, today listed NBA Jam for the above mentioned high-def consoles. The listing has since been yanked, but Joystiq managed to screen capture the description.

Additionally, the ESRB isn't the only ratings board to speak of the game leaping outside the Wii lines and heading to the Xbox 360 and PS3. In early July, the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK), a self-regulating body that monitors the software industry in Germany, also pinned NBA Jam for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Electronic Arts hasn't officially mentioned the title's existence for the Xbox 360 or PS3, and as of press time, EA has not responded to GameSpot's request for comment on the matter.

That said, the arrival of NBA Jam for the 360 and PS3 wouldn't be all too surprising. In February, an EA Canada software engineer listed "NBA Jam for Wii, Xbox 360, PS3" on her LinkedIn account account. She then speedily removed the mention of Xbox 360 and PS3 from the list.

NBA Jam is currently in development at EA Canada and is slated for an October 5 release for the Wii. For more on the game, check out GameSpot's E3 2010 floor check-in with EA Sports (embedded below) and a hands-on preview.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Comic-Con 2010: Members from Harmonix key into Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," announce new songs for upcoming rhythm games.

Who Was There: John Drake, the manager of communications for Harmonix, was leading the panel and was joined by Rock Band 3 senior designer Sylvain Dubrofsky and Dance Central's lead designer Dean Tate.

"Rock Lobster" is coming to Rock Band 3!

What They Talked About: Before the panel started, six members from Harmonix played Rock Band 3 using the new peripherals created specifically for the game. Rock Band 3 now includes a Pro mode where players jam on plastic instruments that go beyond colored buttons. For more information on the game, please read GameSpot's preview of Rock Band 3 from the 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo.

Drake showed off the Mad Catz wireless Mustang pro-guitar controller that had six nylon strings and more than 100 buttons so that you can play every note that's on a real guitar. A keyboard and a bass guitar are also part of the new peripherals that encourage players to learn actual notes.

Dubrofsky talked about wanting Rock Band 3 to appeal to a wider audience and add even more of a challenge to existing players. Tutorials have been included to guide newcomers along, and he talked about focus-group testing where Harmonix was able to get an idea of how each type of player approaches the game.

He mentioned that Rock Band 3 was, "trying to get non-musicians more attached to music and come out of this with some talent."

Both Dubrofsky and Drake wanted to highlight that players would be learning real-world skills through gameplay.

Before going into the Dance Central portion of the panel, Drake announced the following songs for Rock Band 3: "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears, "Rock Lobster" by the B-52s, and "Foolin" by Def Leppard.

Dance Central uses Microsoft's Kinect and lets players perform 600 unique moves through choreographed songs. Songs that have already been announced include "Funkytown" by Lipps, "Hella Good" by No Doubt, "Poison" by Bell Biv DeVoe, "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga, and "Body Movin" by the Beastie Boys.

Before talking more about the game, a producer from Harmonix performed "Bust a Move" by Young MC, another song that will be in the game. After the performance, Tate went over how the game worked. Players mimic the avatar onscreen, and there are flash cards on the side for reference. Dance Central tracks how accurate the performance is, and there are three levels of difficulty to tackle.

For those learning how to dance, there is a Break It Down mode where the game will walk dancers through each step, making it easier to learn some of the trickier steps.

At the end of the panel, Drake announced three more songs for Rock Band 3, which include Marilyn Manson's "Beautiful People," Filter's "Hey Man Nice Shot," and Foreigner's "Cold as Ice."

For Dance Central, two other tracks that have been confirmed include Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot" and Salt 'n Pepper's "Push It."

Tate did confirm that there is a multiplayer mode that hasn't been shown yet, but it involves dancers alternating and competing against one another.

The Takeaway: Harmonix has taken it a step further and moved the music genre into a realm where it's not exactly considered edutainment, but gamers from all backgrounds can learn what it is like to play a real musical instrument.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Comic-Con 2010: Stan Lee joins a panel of developers, writers, and voice actors to shed light on the publisher's four-in-one gaming adaptation of Marvel's iconic webbed wonder.

Who was there: A huge assortment of panelists, including Spider-Man voice actors Dan Gilvezan and Josh Keaton; Amazing Spider-Man writer Dan Slott; Thomas Wilson and Dee Brown from Beenox; Marvel director of games Todd Jefferson; and Spider-Man creator Stan Lee in a panel moderated by GameSpot's own Ricardo Torres.

The three Spider-Men star in Activision's upcoming Shattered Dimensions. The child in the panda hat does not.

What they talked about: The session kicked off with Shattered Dimensions' game-opening cutscene, with bubble-headed villain Mysterio stealing the Tablet of Order and Chaos from a museum. His heist is interrupted by the classic red-and-white Spider-Man, but in the process, the pair shatters the tablet, creating a mystic crisis. Madame Web suddenly appears to explain that the tablet pieces have been scattered across other dimensions (with a cameo from Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham), and it's up to the various Spider-Men to reassemble the tablet or all of their realities will be destroyed.

Brown started out by explaining the developers' approach to the game, along with their initial desire to dive deep into the Spider-Man mythology. The team couldn't settle on one version of Spider-Man, so instead decided to do four in one game. The four different versions featured in the game are the classic Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Ultimate Spider-Man (dressed in the alien symbiote black costume), and Spider-Man Noir.

Wilson said the team wanted not just four different heroes, but also four different art styles in order to make Shattered Dimensions feel like four games in one. To that end, the different Spider-Men control differently. The classic Spider-Man has a lot of web-based combat moves, like forming a giant hammer out of webbing and using that to clobber thugs. Spider-Man Noir uses a stealthier approach, taking down enemies from the shadows. Spider-Man 2099 uses his suit for freefalling sequences and midair chases with the Green Goblin. Finally, Ultimate Spider-Man is all about the black suit, which whips out tendrils when the player enters "rage mode."

Lee made his appearance at that point to a standing ovation from the crowd and delivered effusive praise to the developers. He called them geniuses without reservation and expressed admiration for the years of dedication required to create a single game. Slott gave Lee praise in return, explaining how much he drew upon the groundwork laid in early Spider-Man stories. He added there are going to be an abundance of nods to established continuity in the game, including an appearance by X-Men villain Juggernaut.

Stan "The Man" Lee addresses a crowd full of true believers.

Gilvezan said it had been 30 years since he voiced the webslinger in Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends, and he was originally concerned about how he would go back to that character, considering the changes his voice has gone through in the intervening time. However, given that Spider-Man 2099 as a character has a far different tone than that of the Saturday morning cartoon webhead, Gilvezan said the changes to his voice actually made his job easier.

Quote: "They are brilliant, absolutely brilliant. And I'm a guy who doesn't like to flatter anybody. I like to save all my adjectives for myself!"--Stan Lee, on the Shattered Dimensions team.

The takeaway: From the outset, the developers of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions have tried to deliver four distinct yet intertwined experiences in one package. Also, Stan Lee is very excited and impressed. About everything.

Who knew?: Keaton is a gamer himself, but his title of choice wasn't Spider-Man. He said he "lost about a year and a half" to World of Warcraft, in which he played a druid.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Comic-Con 2010: LucasArts shows off extended demo of upcoming game, reveals early plot spoilers and teaser clip featuring infamous bounty hunter.

Who was there: LucasArts executive producer Haden Blackman took the podium, while a fellow Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II development team member took the controls of the demo.

What they talked about: Blackman discussed the game mechanics at length during an extended version of the demo they showed during GameSpot's live E3 stage show. Highlights included cinematic grapple moves that saw Starkiller jamming a lightsaber through a stormtrooper's gut and flinging him off into oblivion, as well as the Force Fury mode that amps up Starkiller's Jedi powers, including the crowd-favorite decapitating lightsaber throw. Blackman also confirmed that holochrons, lightsaber crystals, and new costumes for Starkiller will all be available in the game.

"Mr. Fett, I presume."

One of the biggest reveals was a brief teaser that confirmed that the legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter, Boba Fett, will be featured in the game. The scene takes place just after Starkiller's escape from the cloning facilities on the planet Kamino. Fett is negotiating the terms of his contract with Darth Vader, who has hired him to chase down Starkiller. The bounty hunter demands a squad of expendable storm troopers, and Vader does him one better as two nimble warriors and a giant arachnid mech creep in from just offscreen, much to the hired gun's satisfaction.

Blackman also spent a good deal of time outlining plot points from the early part of the game [SPOILERS BEGIN]. After the escape from Kamino featured in the stage demo, Starkiller flees to Cato Neimoidia in search of the captive Jedi General Rahm Kota. In order to reach the arena where Kota has been forcibly engaged in gladiatorial combat for the past seven straight days, Starkiller must smash his way through an opulent casino. As one can imagine, this environment will provide no shortage of shiny, breakable objects for players to flex their Force powers on. Arriving in the arena, Starkiller so angers the local baron that the baron unleashes a massive gorog on the two Jedi. The gorog was the big ugly beast from the TFU2 debut trailer.

[SPOILERS CONTINUE] After what will no doubt be a serious boss fight, Starkiller and the gorog topple off the arena platform and enter a free fall. Our fearless Jedi uses his skills to punch a hole through the beast and put it down for the count. In swoops the Rogue Shadow to rescue Starkiller from his fall, and he rushes to the bridge, hoping to find Juno Eclipse at the helm, his love interest from The Force Unleashed. Finding only Kota on board, Starkiller resists the general's desire to turn him loose on the Empire and turns his attention to tracking down Juno. In the course of conversation, Kota mentions the planet Dagoba, and Starkiller, sensing the power in that name, heads to the swampy planet straightaway. We are told Dagoba will be the site of a very revealing vision, and though Blackman was coy about whether or not Yoda would be involved, the fact that The Force Unleashed 2 takes place only one year before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope (putting it about four years before The Empire Strikes Back) points strongly to the diminutive green Jedi's involvement. [END SPOILERS]

Quote(s): "I'll need a squad of stormtroopers. They won't be coming back." --Boba Fett in the teaser reveal.

The takeaway: Not only is LucasArts focused on continuing the strong story from The Force Unleashed, but it is dedicated to addressing fans' concerns (no repeated knockdown attacks, no Star Destroyer bugs) and ramping up the action to make being a badass Jedi even more fun and destructive than before.

Random fact/who knew?: Gamers will be able to customize lightsabers individually, mixing and matching crystals to maximize powers and/or create stylish color combinations.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

England's top domestic league signs deal with megapublisher; will include integration of real-life data into FIFA and use of EA technology and branding for match-day broadcasts.

EA Sports will be the official technology partner for the FA Premier league from next season, both organisations announced today. The deal will see EA Sports branding on all video broadcasts of Premier League football next season and EA Sports "will work with broadcasters to develop enhancements for match day broadcast analysis and increased fan interaction."

Advanced player-creation tools are also on their way this year.

EA Sports football games will also gain access to the Premier League's team of the week, containing those players whose performance was most highly rated in the previous round of matches. Additionally, the player performance index on which these rankings are based is being expanded to include data, such as ball speed, shot force, and jump height through new technology that will be implemented at all Premier League grounds this season.

The deal will also allow EA access to all the match and performance data from league games, which will then be integrated into future iterations of the FIFA franchise to increase realism, according to the megapublisher. Broadcasters will be able to use EA Sports "graphics, animations and interactive technology combined with real-time, real-world data feeds." EA has said it will work with broadcasters to allow them to showcase statistics and help broadcast analysis using this technology and the data available.

This echoes work that EA has been doing in the USA for some time. Recent features, such as ESPN's virtual playbook, launched in 2008, followed up activity using EA sports technology to showcase real-world sporting events as early as 2003. Madden 2004 was first used as a visual aid for sports analysts to explain strategy and examine on-field matchups.

It was also announced that a deal had been reached to extend the official gaming license for the Premier League, though the length of the agreement was not made public. FIFA 11, the next iteration in the series, is due out this autumn and is being developed by EA Canada. It is not yet rated by either PEGI or the ESRB.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Get the full article at GameSpot

Ratings board's online database lists third-person PSP installment in Ubisoft's near-future military shooter with T rating.

It took a year for Ubisoft to nail down details about its latest Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon installment, confirming in February that the game would bear the subheader Future Soldier. That left a loose end, however, as it did not account for Ghost Recon: Predator, a hypothesized name for the tech-savvy shooter that was first floated by the Australian Classification Board.

Ghost Recon's Predators will likely also be future soldiers.

Now, it appears clarity for that question has arrived courtesy of the Australian service's US equivalent, the Entertainment Software Rating Board. According to a listing in the ESRB's online database, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Predator will arrive for the PSP bearing a T for Teen rating. As could be expected of a modern-day military shooter, Predator carries content descriptors for blood, language, and violence.

The ESRB's listing also offered a number of top-level details for Predator. The game will be situated in the third-person shooter genre, with players working their way through enemy compounds as part of an elite squad of soldiers. True to the series, the goal will be to eliminate a variety of enemy threats using weaponry that includes machine guns and grenades.

It is unclear if Ghost Recon: Predator bears any relation to Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. As part of a conference call announcing that game, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot indicated that Future Soldier would arrive for the PSP in addition to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, DS, and PC.

Ubisoft has a history of releasing one-offs for its popular franchises on handheld platforms. Most notably, Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines for the PSP made its way to retail alongside the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Assassin's Creed II in November and featured an original story. The publisher also released Assassin's Creed II: Discovery for the DS at that time.

Ubisoft had not responded to requests for comment as of press time.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

God of Thunder making stand-alone debut on 360, PS3, PSP, Wii, DS next year; high-def consoles, PSP and Wii, DS getting unique versions.

When The Walt Disney Company bought Marvel Entertainment last August, the Mickey Mouse corp. indicated that it would consider taking over game development for the comics company's slate of superheroes. However, many of Marvel's creations remain tied up at other game studios, such as Sega's 2007 deal to license the rights for Hulk, Captain America, and Thor.

Expect great leaps in parachute pants technology.

Today, Sega announced the first details on one of those projects, confirming that Thor: The Video Game will arrive for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PSP, Wii, and DS in 2011. In November, Marvel said as part of its quarterly financial report that Sega's Thor and Captain America titles will arrive alongside their movie counterparts next year. Thor is currently expected to hit the silver screen on May 6.

Sega will be crafting custom experiences for Thor's various platforms. On the Xbox 360 and PS3, the Norseman's first stand-alone adventure will be told from a third-person perspective, where he battles to save Asgard from marauding mythological beasts, as well as iconic comic foes such as Ulik, Ymir, and Surtur. The game will pull heavily from the Norse mythos, and Thor will journey from the fire world of Muspellheim to the frozen tundra of Niflheim.

Thor will, of course, be bringing his hammer, Mjolnir. Battles will apparently play out "on an immense scale," and Thor will be able to control the weather to defeat the throngs. Players will also be able to upgrade Thor's abilities as they progress through the game.

The Wii and PSP versions of Thor will largely share the high-definition consoles' storyline. However, Sega has swapped out the graphics for a more stylized look. These two versions will also have different cinematic sequences, plot developments, dialogue, and locations. Lastly, the DS version will be a 2D side-scrolling adventure, complete with its own storyline and gameplay.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Get the full article at GameSpot

Get the full article at GameSpot

Light week of new releases highlighted by Electronic Arts' open-world racer, not much else.

If last week's new release schedule was light, this week's software offering well is bone dry. A total of four new titles release this week, and of the lot, only one is coming to brick-and-mortar retailers.

The race starts now.

One of the most prominent releases this week is EA Black Box's free-to-play online racer, Need for Speed World. The game is EA's first online-only racing title and is free to play until level 10. For those seeking a deeper experience, EA is also offering the Need for Speed World Starter Pack, which costs $20. Those who purchase the Starter Pack today will get access to the game right now. Those wishing to spend nothing on the game will need to wait until July 27, when the game launches for all. Inside the digital wrapping are access to level 50, a Toyota Corolla AE86 vehicle exclusive to the pack, and $20 worth of speedboost (NFS World's in-game currency).

Starter Pack purchasers also receive a discount on power-ups, double experience point periods, and rental cars. NFS World has 150 miles of in-game road to traverse, including NFS: Most Wanted's Rockport locale and NFS: Carbon's Palmont city streets, as well as a full day/night cycle.

The other notable release this week is Playdead's Limbo on July 21. The puzzle-platformer is exclusive to Xbox Live Arcade and has players controlling a silhouette of a boy searching for his sister throughout various dreary chapters and dark environments. The game, which won some IGF awards, doesn't have loading screens once it is started and progresses through reaching various checkpoints.

For further details on the week's games, visit GameSpot's New Releases page. The full list of downloadable games on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace, and Wii Shop Channel will be revealed later in the week. Release dates are based on retailer listings and are subject to change.

MONDAY, JULY 19
HoopWorld--Wii--Virtual Toys

TUESDAY, JULY 20
Need for Speed World--PC--Electronic Arts
Samantha Swift and the Hidden Roses of Athena--DS--Navarre Corp.

WEDNESAY, JULY 21
Limbo--X360--Playdead

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Get the full article at GameSpot

Nintendo's latest minigame collection tops the charts in debut week, with Level Five's action RPG close behind; Crackdown 2 debuts in seventh place.

It's too early to tell if Nintendo's Wii Party is the latest in a long line of evergreen hits for the company, but the minigame collection is certainly a quick bloomer. According to Media Create's Japanese sales charts, Wii Party was the best-selling game in the country for the week of July 5-11, selling nearly 235,000 copies.

Ain't no party like a Nintendo Wii Party 'cause a Nintendo Wii Party don't stop.

Wii Party is Nintendo's first stab at the genre for the Wii since 2007's Mario Party 8, which has sold more than 7.6 million units worldwide. The game, which is set for North American launch this holiday season, will feature 13 different game modes and more than 70 individual minigames.

Second place for the week went to Shirokishi Monogatari: Hikari to Yami no Kakusei, or White Knight Chronicles 2, which sold more than 175,000 copies. The PlayStation 3-exclusive action role-playing game marks the second release for RPG specialist Level Five in as many weeks. The studio's previous release, Inazuma Eleven 3 (in Spark and Bomber varieties) debuted atop the previous week's charts and placed third for July 5-11 with nearly 98,000 games sold.

Two more new releases made the upper echelon of the sales charts for the week. Marvelous Entertainment's latest Harvest Moon title, Bokujou Monogatari: Futago no Mura for the DS, finishing in fourth place with 63,610 copies sold. Further down the list in seventh was a rare appearance by an Xbox 360 game courtesy of Crackdown 2, which sold a little less than 15,000 copies.

It was mostly business as usual on the hardware charts, with the DSi LL (known in the West as the DSi XL) securing the top spot once again with 28,916 systems sold. Bolstered by the launch of Wii Party, Nintendo's console edged out the PSP to land in second place with 24,604 systems sold, fewer than 200 units ahead of Sony's portable.

JAPAN GAME SALES WEEK OF JULY 5-11, 2010

Software:
Rank / Title / Publisher / Platform / Unit sales
1. Wii Party / Nintendo / Wii / 234,892
2. Shirokishi Monogatari: Hikari to Yami no Kakusei / Sony / PS3 / 175,632
3. Inazuma Eleven 3: Sekai e no Chousen!! Spark and Bomber/ Level Five / DS / 97,727
4. Bokujou Monogatari: Futago no Mura / Marvelous / DS / 63,610
5. Taiko no Tatsujin DS: Dororon! Youkai Daikessen!! / Bandai Namco / DS / 30,689
6. Super Mario Galaxy 2 / Nintendo / Wii / 26,217
7. Crackdown 2 / Microsoft / 360 / 14,839
8. Tomodachi Collection / Nintendo / DS / 12,932
9. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010: Aoki Samurai no Chousen / Konami / PS3 / 12,189
10. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010: Aoki Samurai no Chousen / Konami / PSP / 12,125

Hardware:
DSi LL - 28,916
Wii - 24,604
PSP - 24,421
PS3 - 18,345
DSi - 17,356
Xbox 360 - 5,688
DS Lite - 4,992
PS2 - 1,558
PSP Go - 1,046

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Nintendo's console approaches new sales domestic milestone as the game giant announces the sequel to its award-winning platformer has gone platinum; DS life-to-date sales near 42 million.

The NPD Group issued its report for June game sales today, which saw the Xbox 360 surpass the normally dominant Wii in console sales. Nintendo wasted little time in spinning the sales data, pointing out the Wii has now nearly sold 30 million units in the US alone. During its last financial report in May, the game giant said worldwide sales of the console were near 71 million.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 has gone platinum.

As usual, the overall hardware best seller was the DS in June with 510,700 units. According to Nintendo, that pushed the handheld's domestic life-to-date sales to almost 42 million. In the aforementioned May report, Nintendo said the line of double-screened portables--including the original DS, DS Lite, DSi, and DSi XL, had sold over 125 million units worldwide. The next installment in the series, the 3DS, was unveiled at last month's Electronic Entertainment Expo.

Nintendo was also quick to trumpet the success of Super Mario Galaxy 2, which was the second-highest seller in June. The sequel to GameSpot's 2007 Game of the Year has now sold over 1 million units in two months domestically, racking up 548,400 copies at the register in June and 563,900 units in May.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Nintendo producer Eiji Aonuma says Link's second all-new Wii outing should arrive during the first part of next year.

At last month's Electronic Entertainment Expo, Nintendo devoted a large chunk of its press conference to Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, its second installment in its venerated franchise for the Wii. In addition to offering some of the first details on the title, Nintendo also bestowed it with a broad 2011 release window.

Skyward Sword appears to be on track for this winter.

Now, though, Nintendo has lopped off roughly 275 of those possible launch days. As part of an interview with the Official Nintendo Magazine, producer Eiji Aonuma said that Skyward Sword should be out during the first part of next year.

"The basis we have now is very, very solid," Aonuma said. "Early 2011--that is what we're aiming for." ONM provided no additional details from the Aonuma interview, saying that the complete text can be found in the August issue of the magazine.

Nintendo's E3 demo featured franchise creator Shigeru Miyamoto giving a public demo of the game. Miyamoto showed how the new Zelda will integrate with the Wii's motion-sensing scheme, with the Wii Remote doubling as a sword and the nunchuk serving as a shield. Foes confronted and vanquished during the demo included carnivorous plants, disembodied eyeballs, and orcish creatures.

Beyond Link's hallmark sword and board, Miyamoto also showed off a number of other weapons in Link's arsenal, including a slingshot, bow and arrow, bomb, and whip. Of the whip, players have precise control over its direction, thanks in part to the game's integration with the Wii's precision-enhancing MotionPlus add-on.

For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Ready at Dawn sends staffers packing months before Ghost of Sparta release; blames cutbacks on nature of being an indie shop.

In May, Sony revealed God of War: Ghost of Sparta would return the ultraviolent mythological series to the PSP. The studio behind the project is Ready at Dawn, the independent studio behind the first God of War title for Sony's portable, Chains of Olympus. (The studio also handled the Wii port of Capcom's Okami.)

Ghost of Sparta isn't out until the fall, but Ready at Dawn is already reducing staff.

Although Ghost of Sparta won't be released until this fall, the Irvine, California-based Ready at Dawn is already making the sort of staff cuts that usually follow the completion of a project. In an announcement on its official Web site, the company lamented the move, which it says is the nature of the indie-development beast.

"Most days we feel privileged to do what we do. Some days not so much. Today just plain sucks," read the post. "We've spent the majority of our time at RAD hiring the best and most talented people to join our team. Today, we had to let go of 13 of these people because we simply couldn't keep them on board while one project finishes and another ramps up. Unfortunately, these are the woes of being independent…"

Due out "later this year," Ghost of Sparta will feature an all-new storyline set between the PlayStation 2 games God of War and God of War II. It will follow the series' protagonist, the ruthless Spartan warrior Kratos, as he assumes the reins of power as the Greek god of war after killing the previous title-holder, Ares. Over the course of the game, various parts of Kratos' backstory will be revealed, including the origins of his scar and tattoo.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Capcom nails down release date for historical beat-'em-up from Devil May Cry 4 producer on Sony, Nintendo consoles.

In 2005, Capcom released Devil Kings in North America, but the game, a Westernized version of Sengoku Basara, attracted few loyal subjects. The publisher is giving the series a second shot at worldwide acclaim, as today it issued an October 12 North American release date for Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes for the PlayStation 3 and Wii.

Strike a pose!

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes has players hack their way through the events and people of feudal Japan, much like Koei's long-standing Samurai Warriors franchise. The game features large-scale battles of "hundreds of opponents," and players will be able to assume control of more than 10 different legendary samurai for use on the field of war.

The game's development is being overseen by Hiroyuki Kobayashi, best known as the producer of Devil May Cry 4. Kobayashi has been involved in the franchise from day one, serving as producer for both Devil Kings and the original Sengoku Basara.

For more on Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Get the full article at GameSpot

Wedbush's Pachter expects 8% decline; Lazard's Sebastian forecasts 15% drop; Red Dead Redemption, Super Mario Galaxy 2 pegged as top sellers.

Prior to NPD's delayed report on non-PC US game sales for May, analysts were bullish on the month. Many thought it would see improved sales, thanks to the releases of such blockbusters as Super Mario Galaxy 2, UFC Undisputed 2010, and Red Dead Redemption.

Analysts predict Red Dead Redemption will ride high again on the June NPD charts.

They were wrong.

The week before last, NPD reported that sales of combined software, hardware, and accessories sales actually declined 5 percent during the month compared to May 2009. As a result, analysts issued dreary after-action reports, with Wedbush's Michael Pachter going so far as to say the domestic game industry may be in a permanent decline.

With June's numbers expected Thursday afternoon, analysts are now taking a more conservative tack. "We forecast software sales of $575 million, down 8 percent compared to last year's $627 million," said Pachter in a note released today. "Despite improved June hardware sales of Xbox 360 and PS3, we expect June software sales to be down due to a difficult dollar comparison, a disappointing May (up only 4 percent despite a strong release slate), and a lackluster release slate."

Pachter attributes the hardware increase to the introduction of the new 250GB Xbox 360, which launched in mid-June. He also pegged Red Dead Redemption and Super Mario Galaxy 2--two of May's top titles--to be amongst the highest selling games in June.

Lazard Capital Group's Colin Sebastian was even more pessimistic, auguring an overall decline of 15 percent. "Beyond ongoing sluggish game sales, the primary reason for the decline in sales is the lack of significant new releases during the month. While catalog sales of Red Dead Redemption remain healthy, according to our retail checks, we believe that sales were a bit soft for newer releases, including Blur and Tiger Woods [PGA TOUR 11]."

That said, Sebastian predicted software sales would be up by 15 percent, and that hardware sales would be "stable" year-over-year. "Our checks also suggest somewhat improving availability of PS3 hardware, while the new 360 Slim and steady sales of Nintendo's Wii should generate flat to slightly higher hardware sales versus May. We do not expect a significant increase in handheld unit sales until the launch of the Nintendo 3DS (we expect Q4 in Japan and Q1-2011 in North America)."

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot