WriGaming

Grand Theft Auto IV Achievement List

2008-04-27T20:31:00.002+01:00

The official achievement list for Grand Theft Auto IV has been revealed. The list contains 50 achievements worth 1000 GamerScore. Here is the list:


Off The Boat Complete the first mission.	5 Locked
One Hundred And Eighty In a darts game score 180 with 3 darts.	10 Locked
Pool Shark Beat a friend at pool.	10 Locked
King of QUB3D Beat the High Score in QUB3D.	15 Locked
Finish Him Complete 10 melee counters in 4 minutes.	15 Locked
Genetically Superior Come first in 20 singleplayer street races.	25 Locked
Wheelie Rider Do a wheelie lasting at least 500 feet on a motorbike.	30 Locked
Gobble Gobble Score 3 strikes in a row, a turkey, in 10-pin bowling.	10 Locked
Driving Mr. Bellic Unlock the special ability of taxi.	10 Locked
Rolled Over Do 5 car rolls in a row from one crash.	30 Locked
Walk Free Lose a 4 star wanted rating by outrunning the cops.	50 Locked
Courier Service Complete all 10 package delivery jobs.	10 Locked
Retail Therapy Unlock the special ability of buying guns from a friend.	10 Locked
Chain Reaction You must blow up 10 vehicles in 10 seconds.	20 Locked
One Man Army Survive 5 minutes on 6 star wanted level.	40 Locked
Lowest Point Complete mission "Roman's Sorrow".	5 Locked
Order Fulfilled Complete all 10 Exotic Export orders.	10 Locked
Manhunt Complete the most wanted side missions from the police computer.	15 Locked
Cleaned The Mean Streets Capture 20 criminals through the police computer.	20 Locked
Fed The Fish Complete the mission "Uncle Vlad".	5 Locked
It'll Cost Ya Complete a taxi ride without skipping from one island to another.	5 Locked
Sightseer Fly on all helicopter tours of Liberty City.	5 Locked
Warm Coffee Successfully date a girl to be invited into her house.	5 Locked
That's How We Roll! Unlock the special ability of helicopter.	10 Locked
Half Million Reach a balance of $500,000.	55 Locked
Impossible Trinity Complete mission "Museum Piece".	10 Locked
Full Exploration Unlock all the islands.	20 Locked
You Got The Message Deliver all 30 cars ordered through text message.	20 Locked
Dare Devil Complete 100% of the unique stunt jumps.	30 Locked
Assassin's Greed Complete all 9 assassin missions.	20 Locked
Endangered Species Collect every hidden package in the game.	50 Locked
Under The Radar Fly underneath the main bridges in the game that cross water with a helicopter.	40 Locked
Dial B For Bomb Unlock the special ability of phoning for a bomb to be placed.	10 Locked
Gracefully Taken Complete mission "I'll Take Her".	10 Locked
Liberty City (5) After meeting all possible friends, the ones left alive all like you above 90%.	20 Locked
No More Strangers Meet all random characters.	5 Locked
That Special Someone Complete mission "That Special Someone".	10 Locked
You Won! Complete the final mission.	60 Locked
Liberty City Minute Complete the story missions in less than 30 hours.	30 Locked
Key To The City Achieve 100% in "Game progress" statistic.	100 Locked
Teamplayer Kill 5 players who are not in your team, in any ranked multiplayer team game.	10 Locked
Cut Your Teeth Earn a personal rank promotion in multiplayer.	5 Locked
Join The Midnight Club Win a ranked multiplayer race without damaging your vehicle too much and with damage enabled.	10 Locked
Fly The Co-op Beat our time in ranked versions of "Deal Breaker", "Hangman's NOOSE" and "Bomb da Base II".	15 Locked
Taking It For The Team Be on the winning team in all ranked multiplayer team games.	10 Locked
Top Of The Food Chain Kill 20 players with a pistol in a ranked multiplayer deathmatch.	10 Locked
Top The Midnight Club Come first in 20 different ranked standard multiplayer races.	20 Locked
Wanted Achieve the highest personal rank in multiplayer.	20 Locked
Auf Wiedersehen Petrovic Win all ranked multiplayer variations, all races and "Cops 'n Crooks", as both sides.	30 Locked
Let Sleeping Rockstars Lie Kill a Rockstar developer in a ranked multiplayer match.	10 Locked

Bully: Scholarship Edition (XBOX 360) Review

2008-04-27T20:22:00.004+01:00

Bully: Scholarship Edition is the XBOX 360 and Wii port of the problem-plagued 2006 PlayStation 2 title Canis Canem Edit (Latin for ‘Dog Eat Dog’) with a few added extras. These extras include eight new missions, four new classes, four new characters, two player mini-games and achievements. Read on to discover whether Bully: Scholarship Edition is a great addition to your collection, or whether it should be expelled.

Players control 15-year-old Jimmy Hopkins, a mischievous teenager expelled from at least seven schools, who has been sent to Bullworth Academy boarding school after a falling out with his mother and his new step-dad who are off on a honeymoon for a year. The first cut scene of Jimmy in the back of his car with his mother and step-dad in the front driving to Bullworth Academy is a very good indication of how amazing the storyline is. Bully: Scholarship Edition has great dialogue, some of the best characters you will come across in any game, good plots and hilarious jokes.

At Bullworth Academy, Jimmy must fit into one of the four groups. Greasers, Jocks, Nerds and Preps. Every task or errand Jimmy completes earns and loses respect in each of these groups, as well as earning him money. Tasks and errands involve activities such as putting chocolates into someone's locker and sticking however many kick-me signs on people's backs. Nothing like you'd get in Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix. Amidst all the tasks and errands are the various school lessons. The lessons involve completing a mini-game related to the lesson’s subject and each subject is made up of five lessons which get progressively harder. Completing a lesson rewards players with upgrades and clothing which can be used in order to make tasks around the school easier. Personally I don’t particularly enjoy the lessons but there are a few achievements which can be gained from it so it’s worth having a go at them.

The subjects in the game are Art, Biology, Chemistry, English, Geography, Gym, Maths, Music, Photography and Shop. The Art classes involved drawing lines avoiding enemies to create boxes, Biology involves dissecting animals using pins, scalpels, forceps and a magnifying glass, Chemistry requires players to press the corresponding button when it reaches the highlighted rectangle, English involves players to create words out of the given letters, Geography requires players to place the correct flag on the correct country on the world map, Gym is either wrestling (on the odd lesson numbers) or dodge ball (on the even lesson numbers), Maths is simply selecting the correct answers to the questions, Music is similar to chemistry but using the triggers, Photography is simply taking photographs around the school (such as of students for a yearbook) and finally Shop classes involves mending vehicles from bikes to cars by moving thumb sticks and pressing buttons.

You don’t have to attend the lessons if you don’t want to though failure to attend is truancy and if you’re caught by prefects within the school or the police outside of school, you’ll be forced to attend the lesson. Outside of school gives the game its Grand Theft Auto style as players can roam around the streets on a bike or skateboard looking for jobs/tasks and rubber bands (for Jimmy’s rubber band ball). When you’ve got a few minutes spare you could also lock pick a locker by rotating the thumb stick the way the arrow commands you to; flirt and kiss with the ladies (and boys) by giving them gifts of flowers and/or chocolates; finding radio transistors for the hobo behind the old school bus who will reward you by teaching you a fight move; humiliating someone by placing a ‘Kick Me’ sign on their back; giving students wedgies. Alternatively, you could always study in the library... thought not.

Dotted around the game are Arcade machines which are similar to some XBOX Live Arcade titles available. There’s a wide variety from Racing to Sumo Wrestling. They aren’t very entertaining but they can unlock some content so it’s worth having a go. The amount of outfits players can choose from in the game is incredible. There are everyday outfits such as pyjamas and school uniform to more extreme outfits such as a Halloween outfit and a Ninja Costume. Players can even buy more outfits and clothing from the shop in the school and unlock clothing after completing certain lessons.

The controls on the game are pretty simple to get the hang of. Y is your action button to open doors and start tasks/errands, X and B are your attack buttons and A is your run/sprint button. Your weapon can be changed using the bumpers and fired using the right trigger. As you progress through the game, you will learn more combinations for fighting which are just simple combinations of X, B and Y unlike certain XBOX 360 titles with more complicated fighting combinations *cough* Dead or Alive 4 *cough*.

The game is split into six fairly long chapters, completing all the tasks within the chapter allow you to move on and unlocks you an achievement. The achievements in Bully: Scholarship Edition requires you to play the game; a lot so a quick rental isn’t ideal because of achievements such as “SHARP DRESSED MAN” (Collect 250 clothing items.) though as long as you manage to obtain 100% within the game, you should easily be obtain the whole 1000. Rockstar were also quite mean and included an achievement to get 20 kisses from the gents... maybe that is one achievement that should never be unlocked!

Despite all of the great moments in Bully: Scholarship Edition, the game does contain a lot of bugs such as people walking into walls and the odd unexpected freeze. The graphics look horrible compared to some of the outstanding graphics seen in games recently. Players who have finished Canis Canem Edit on the PlayStation 2 will not find this game much different at all. The extra missions are barely noticeable and the multiplayer is very poor as it consists of challenging each other at the lessons playable in single-player. Other than that, Rockstar have done a good job of porting the game from the PlayStation 2 to one of the most entertaining XBOX 360 titles available.

Positives:

- Lots to do to keep you going until GTA: IV

- Lots of fun

- Escaping prefects and the police

Negatives:

- Weak Multiplayer

- Not worth buying if you’ve completed Canis Canem Edit (PS2)

- Doesn't have the hottest virtual school-girl (Hermione from Harry Potter)

Overall: 82%

The Spiderwick Chronicles (XBOX 360) Review

2008-04-27T20:19:00.003+01:00

When a game's released based on a recent movie, the majority of the time it's a terrible conversion. Recent titles such as Shrek the Third and The Golden Compass failed to impress, but Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was a title which boosted faith in the licensed movie-to-game genre. In the latest attempt at trying to have a successful film-to-game conversion we have The Spiderwick Chronicles, originally based on the five books written by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black.

The start of The Spiderwick Chronicles sees the Grace family (made up of the mother, daughter Mallory and twins Jared and Simon) move into their new home and Jared discovers a dumbwaiter system behind a wall in the house, which leads to the secret study of Arthur Spiderwick. In the study Jared discovers a book - The Spiderwick Chronicles - written by Arthur and containing information on the surrounding magical creatures and enchantments. Thimbletack, a brownie, warns Jared not to take the book outside of the magical protective Circle of Toadstools around the house as a shape-shifting ogre, Mulgarath, is after it. Thimbletack also gives Jared a seeing stone which allows him to see the magical creatures that aren't visible to the naked eye. Now having the book, Jared's brother Simon is kidnapped by Mulgarath’s goblins having mistaken Simon for Jared and it's up to the three children to work together in order to defeat Mulgarath and prevent him from stealing The Spiderwick Chronicles.

Almost every task in The Spiderwick Chronicles involves players collecting items. Whether its fire salamanders, sprites, parts for weapons or bits for Thimbletack’s house, you always seem to be collecting. The game lacks an inventory system as when you find an item which you don’t require for your task, you have to come back to obtain the item once the task is available. This is frustrating and adds to the repetition. The most repetitive task of all is collecting sprites, once you catch them in your sprite net you have to complete a mini-game where you paint on the paper to uncover the sprite. The mini-game must be completed to capture the sprite in the time limit otherwise it escapes. This would be fine if it was done once or twice throughout the game but it has to be done about fifty times (and that’s no exaggeration). The single player feature that stands out for me is controlling Thimbletack. Running into the crack in the study wall to retrieve the seeing stone, the antique sword and Arthur Spiderwick’s griffin’s acorn is one of the more entertaining features of the generally quite dull game. It’s also made dull because of the constant referring to the Field Guide (which is accessed through the Start button). Without referring to the guide every so often, you’ll lose track of where to go and what to do. And when the guide doesn’t come to your help, you’ll end up wandering looking for a particular object or creature.

The unlockables throughout the game are multiplayer arenas for the multiplayer side of the game. The letters appear in the form of ISL (International Sprite League) at the front door of the house in single-player mode. This is a good way of getting players to finish the short story mode, but it’s also annoying as if you’re looking to try out the multiplayer as it takes approximately 2 hours to receive your first letter. When you eventually get onto the multiplayer, you’ll wish you hadn’t bothered as it is simply collecting sprites and/or killing goblins which you have done in the single-player side of the game. Quite strangely players can play the multiplayer by themselves and there is no online play, just local multiplayer. But don’t be put off by the multiplayer as there is three easy achievements to gain earning you 170 GamerScore.

The achievements in The Spiderwick Chronicles can be completed with ease and the full 1000 can be achieved within 7 hours as they simply require players to complete the game 100%; finding all the sprites, completing all the tasks and playing the multiplayer.

The graphics are average although I was particularly impressed with the house as it has been recreated from the movie very well, but the study, the woods and quarry have all been altered so much they feel totally different. The three main characters haven’t been designed too well, especially the faces, but Hogsqueal (the bird-loving hobgoblin) looks great. The majority of the cut-scenes use clips from the movie itself which I personally feel all licensed movie games should do and it’s a nice addition to the game. The voice-overs in the game are excellent but is spoiled by the lip-syncing of the characters, but all in all the audio is very effective and adds to the atmosphere well.

The controls are different to other games in the genre. At first it feels strange having the A button as attack, although after a while it becomes natural, but only because the fighting combat is button bashing A until you unlock more powerful attacks and this requires you to hold down the A button. The action button is B and when Y is pressed the active sprite power is used. I love the use of the Bumper buttons as you can change weapon and sprite power very quick.

Overall, The Spiderwick Chronicles is one of the better licensed movie games we’ve seen for a while but there is better games on the market. If you are planning on getting the game I recommend first seeing the movie before renting/purchasing the game as the story can be fairly complicated to understand from just the game. The story mode can easily be completed within 7 hours and you will also unlock you the majority of the achievements (with the rest coming from the multiplayer). You are very unlikely to come back to it after completion due to the lack of multiplayer and interest in the story.

Positives:

- Easy 1000 GamerScore

- Great voice-overs

- One of the better movie-to-game titles

Negatives:

- Short story

- Relying on the Field Guide

- Very repetitive

Overall: 63%

Burnout: Paradise Achievements

2007-11-14T07:52:00.002Z

There are 50 achievements worth 1000 GamerScore

Achievement Name - GamerScore
Achievement Description

Lookin’ Good - 5 GamerScore
Repair your first wrecked car

Watt? - 10 GamerScore
Set a Time Road Rule on Watt St

It’s Showtime - 10 GamerScore
Set a Showtime Road Rule East Crawford Drive

Great Start - 10 GamerScore
Win a Race

Misdemeanor - 10 GamerScore
Collect 5 Billboards

Off the Beaten Path - 10 GamerScore
Collect 25 Smashes

Bottom of the Class - 20 GamerScore
Get your D Class License

Perfect Rage - 5 GamerScore
Get 10 Takedowns in Road Rage without Wrecking

Rising From the Ashes - 10 GamerScore
Repair your car at critical damage in a Road Rage event

Spinnin’ Around - 10 GamerScore
Perform a 360 Flatspin in any car

Underachiever - 30 GamerScore
Get your C Class License

Learning to Fly - 10 GamerScore
Successfully land 5 SUPERJUMPS

Duckin’ and Weavin’ - 10 GamerScore
Win a Marked man without being taken down

The Show Must Go On - 20 GamerScore
Get a 10x multiplier in Showtime

Rampage! - 20 GamerScore
Get a Takedown Rampage

Must Try Harder - 40 GamerScore
Get your B Class License

Parallel Park - 20 GamerScore
Power Park with a 100% rating

Daredevil - 25 GamerScore
Landed a 2 barrel roll jump

Boosting Around the World - 25 GamerScore
Get a x20 Boost Chain

Flying Colors - 50 GamerScore
Get your A Class License

Millionaire’s Club - 25 GamerScore
Score over a 1,000,000 in Stunt Run

Supercharged - 20 GamerScore
Win 25 Burning Routes

Car in a China Shop - 20 GamerScore
Get 500 Takedowns (online and offline)

Paradise Won - 60 GamerScore
Win your Burnout Driving License

All Pimped Out - 10 GamerScore
Win all Burning Routes

Explorer - 10 GamerScore
Find all Events

Paid and Displayed - 20 GamerScore
Visit www.burnout.ea.com to find out more

Bustin’ Out - 20 GamerScore
Collect all Billboards

Totally Smashed - 20 GamerScore
Collect all Smashes

Flying High - 20 GamerScore
Successfully landed all SUPERJUMPS

Speed King - 20 GamerScore
Set a Time Road Rule on every road

Crashin’ All Over The World - 20 GamerScore
Set a Showtime Road Rule on every road

Shopaholic - 10 GamerScore
Find all Drive Thrus and Car Parks

Elite - 70 GamerScore
Win your Burnout Elite Licence

Criterion Elite - 20 GamerScore
Get your Elite License, win every event, find all discoverables and beat every Road Rule

Online Racer - 10 GamerScore
Complete an online Race

First Win - 10 GamerScore
Win Your first 8 Player online Race

Online Champion - 20 GamerScore
Win 10 online Races

Online and Kicking - 30 GamerScore
Complete 20 online Events

Firestarter - 20 GamerScore
Make 50 online Rivals

Just for Pics - 10 GamerScore
Make Your First online Rival

Happy Snapper - 10 GamerScore
Send 5 Camera Shots

Notorious - 20 GamerScore
Send 50 Camera Shots

Hotshots - 20 GamerScore
Get 50 Snapshots in your Lineup

Join the Party - 10 GamerScore
Complete 1 online Challenge

Party Crasher - 15 GamerScore
Complete 25 online Challenges

Party Animal - 25 GamerScore
Complete 250 online Challenges

Block Party - 35 GamerScore
Complete 2 whole sections of online Challenges (excluding PDLC)

Burnout Skills - 30 GamerScore
In 8 Player online Freeburn lead 6 of the Today’s Best Scores

Criterion Fever - 20 GamerScore
Catch Criterion Fever - Visit www.burnout.ea.com to find out more

99th and 100th Arcade Title Reveiled!

2007-11-12T17:41:00.000Z

This Wednesday marks 100 Arcade releases on the XBOX Live Marketplace.

The first of the two titles is: SHREK N ROLL
Navigate through 16 challenging mazes across four unique environments in Far Far Away’s newest competitive tournament. Test your tilting and rolling skills in Single Player mode, challenge others in Versus mode, or work together with friends and family in 2-player local Co-op mode. The game will be available worldwide with the exception of Korea and Japan this Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. GMT (2:00 a.m. PST) for 800 Microsoft Points, and is rated “E” (Everyone – Comic Mischief) by the ESRB.
• For more details on “SHREK N ROLL,” please visit http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/s/shreknrollxboxlivearcade/

The second of the two titles is: Screwjumper
“Screwjumper!” allows players to compete with friends locally via a split-screen mode, as well as over Xbox LIVE. The game will be available worldwide with the exception of Korea and Japan this Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. GMT (2:00 a.m. PST) for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated “E 10+” by the ESRB.
• For more details on “Screwjumper!,” please visit http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/s/screwjumperxboxlivearcade/default.htm

Next week has been confirmed as "Undertow" (21st) so it looks unlikely that we'll see Sensible Soccer this month.

XBOX Live Activity (5th - 11th November)

2007-11-11T20:38:00.000Z

This week's XBOX Live Activity shows no real surprises but I can guarantee it won't look like this next week.

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles (UU’s)
1 Halo 3
2 Gears of War
3 Guitar Hero III
4 Call of Duty 4
5 Madden NFL 08
6 Guitar Hero III Demo
7 America's Army: True Soldiers Demo
8 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
9 Guitar Hero II
10 The Orange Box

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions)
1 Mutant Storm Empire
2 Battlestar Galactica
3 EXIT
4 Pinball FX
5 Word Puzzle
6 Switchball
7 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures
8 Bomberman LIVE
9 Speedball 2
10 Every Extend Extra Extreme

Original Xbox Top Live Games
1 Halo 2
2 Battlefield 2: MC
3 Star Wars: Battlfront 2
4 Counter-Strike
5 Madden NFL 08
6 Call of Duty 3
7 Madden NFL 07
8 Rainbow Six 3
9 Ghost Recon 2
10 Forza Motorsport

These lists are based on global unique users connected to Xbox Live or in the case of Arcade, full versions purchased this week. The arcade list is based on full versions purchased.

This Week's Releases

2007-11-09T22:59:00.000Z

Games For Windows
Gears of War

Nintendo Wii
EA Playground
Endless Ocean
Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots
Tony Hawks: Proving Ground
WWE Smackdown VS Raw 2008

PlayStation 3
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Dynasty Warriors - Gundam
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
Ratchet and Clank - Tools of Destruction
WWE Smackdown VS Raw 2008

XBOX 360
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Dynasty Warriors - Gundam
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
NASCAR 2008 - Chase for the Cup
WWE Smackdown VS Raw 2008

Halo 3 Maps and Modes Revealed

2007-11-07T19:51:00.000Z

Halo 3's new maps for the mulitplayer mode are well underway and Bungie has released a few details on them.

Jodrell Bank, Purple Reign and Vandelay are the the names of the maps which could be available as a mappack over XBOX Live very soon.

Jodrell Bank "is a Team Slayer main course and player counts would fit swimmingly into both Social Slayer and Team Slayer hoppers and I think it might even be possible to shoehorn a few more players into the mix without overcrowding things."

Purple Reign "is the earliest iteration of the map actually had a completely different overall shape. If I sketched the cross section of the map's floor onto a napkin it would've looked like a small hill, but when you played it, it wasn't readily apparent," says Bungie.

"In the last month, the concavity was changed so that if you were staring the same napkin with the new version of it it'd look more like a gently sloping bowl. The difference in the way the map played then versus now is pretty remarkable. Subtle changes to the floor's geometry resulted in wider lines of sight for players staring down one half of the map and an intricate and strategic mix of floor/column/ramp gameplay on the other side and all of the sneaky jumps those mechanics entail."

"Vandelay is structurally the simplest map we've ever made, yet the tools that we're providing with the help of the Forge give the map tons of potential. That potential could be used for devising clever contraptions, unique playspaces and when paired with Player Traits could become a test bed for new ideas from both Bungie and the playerbase."

"Up until now, Forge has been primarily thought of as an object editor. It's been a great tool for devising tweaks and changes to maps, the net result ranging from "Oh, you put more BRs on Snowbound," to "Wow, you made a Jail that you rescue players from."

"Map forgers and game variant makers we are watching, playing and enjoying what you're doing and it's entirely possible that you'll get a message from us once we've tested a gametype with some feedback and a few notes and maybe a date as to when it will be showing up on Favorites," says Bungie.

Good Night Fight Night Studio

2007-11-07T19:37:00.000Z

EA Games president Frank Gibeau has released a statement about the closure of EA's Chicago Studio:

"Today we are announcing the closure of our studio in Chicago. This is a difficult decision but we are convinced it's the right thing to do for the future of the Games Label and EA.
Within the EA Games Label, we are committed to running each franchise and facility as a city/state, teams with unique creative identities as well as responsibility for product quality, ship dates and profitability. We recognize that games require large investments and extended development cycles. We're willing to take risks, make long-term investments, and to support teams and individuals between launches. But each team is responsible for staying on a reasonable path to profitability. Sticking to that strategy is what gives us the financial resources and flexibility to take risks on new projects.

Unfortunately, EA Chicago hasn't been able to meet that standard. The location has grown dramatically in the past three years while revenue from the games developed there has not. The number of employees has grown from 49 in 2004 to 146 people currently in the new facility in downtown Chicago. As it stands, EA Chicago has no expectation of hitting our profitability targets until FY2011 or later.

Closing EA Chicago is the toughest decision I've made in my career - one that in no way reflects on the talent and dedication of the people who work there. I've enjoyed their games and consider GM Kudo Tsunoda to be one of the best creative minds in our industry. The people impacted by this decision will be treated fairly - we're offering relocation opportunities to many and there will be outplacement assistance and severance for all eligible employees.

I know this decision will be unsettling to many beyond those who work in Chicago. It's important that you understand that we are willing to take creative risks and make long-term investments in people and projects. But the city/state philosophy demands that every project be committed to delivering a reasonable expectation of profitability. It's a performance commitment that binds us together and ensures we have the resources we need to invest back into our people and creative output.

Finally, when EA announced our quarterly earnings last week, John and Warren referenced facility closures. We had planned to include Chicago in that communication but a personal tragedy in the studio - the death of a colleague - resulted in our delaying the announcement out of respect for his family and friends. I apologize for any confusion or concern that caused.

I think you'll find that in addition to tackling some serious challenges, we are making great progress on our business. Consumers have responded well to our new IP and quality scores are tracking up. We are proud of our recent hits, such as Skate and the success we have made in making a solid game with The Simpsons. And we're looking forward to breakout hits like Need For Speed Pro Street, Rockband, Burnout Paradise, Battlefield Bad Company, Army of Two, Crysis, and more in the future with Mass Effect and Mercenaries 2 World in Flames.

We're definitely headed in the right direction.

Frank"

This studio close affects games such as "Fight Night" and "Def: Jam", whether EA will continue making these games is unknown.

Double Trouble Arcade Releases

2007-11-05T17:48:00.000Z

This week Switchball and Word Puzzle will be released on the Arcade for 800 points each.

Switchball:

The traditional pen and paper word search game is taken to a whole new level this week as InterServ brings “Word Puzzle” to Xbox LIVE Arcade. This brain-busting game features intricate 3D boards, exploding word bombs and a whole host of synapse melting challenges and special effects. With five unique game modes, LIVE support for up to four players and Xbox LIVE Vision Camera support, “Word Puzzle” will keep you playing with friends and family for hours. The game will be available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated E.

Word Puzzle:

The traditional pen and paper word search game is taken to a whole new level this week as InterServ brings “Word Puzzle” to Xbox LIVE Arcade. This brain-busting game features intricate 3D boards, exploding word bombs and a whole host of synapse melting challenges and special effects. With five unique game modes, LIVE support for up to four players and Xbox LIVE Vision Camera support, “Word Puzzle” will keep you playing with friends and family for hours. The game will be available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated E.

"Guitar Queer-o"

2007-11-05T16:43:00.000Z

The next episode of South Park "Guitar Queer-o" will air in America on Wednesday 7th November.

A brief description of the episode was revealed:

Stan and Kyle are hooked on Guitar Hero. But Stan's superior skills on the video game damage his friendship with Kyle.

Taken from South Park Studios.

Guitar Hero III is available in the UK on Friday 23 November and is available in the US now!

Weekly News Round-Up

2007-11-04T19:07:00.000Z

What we've learnt this week:

Monday:
Rock Band Tracks

Tuesday:
Bungie Are Still Dedicated To Halo 3 With Special Halo-Ween Playlist
Football Dominates Charts
Viva Pinata: Party Animals Achievements

Wednesday:
Burnout: Paradise Box Art Revealed

Thursday:
Mass Effect Achievements
Metal Gear Solid 4 Officially Delayed

Friday:
PlayStation Network Future Releases

Don't forget to vote in the poll which finishes on Friday!

PlayStation Network Releases Announced

2007-11-02T20:20:00.000Z

The PlayStation Network has been quiet compared to the XBOX Live Marketplace but today nine new PSone titles were released available to download and more expected content for November and December have been revealed. All this can be found below.

PSone titles:

Coolboarders
G-Police
Destruction Derby
Colony Wars
Motor Toon Grand Prix 2
Syphon Filter 2
Bust-A-Groove
Crash Bandicoot 2
Crash Bandicoot 3

November Releases:

Feel Ski
PS Eye Mesmerize Distort
PS Eye Tori Emaki
Uncharted: Meet the Dogs/The Characters & Music: English Only - localised versions to follow
Lair: Call of the Beast trailer
MotorStorm Revenge Weekend Trailer
Folkore - Bottom of the Sea pack
MotorStorm Devil Crossing pack:
Track - Devils crossing
4 new tickets containing 10 races
2 new vehicles with 3 liveries each. One unlockable vehicle with 3 liveries upon completion of the mini devils crossing festival (as per Coyote revenge pack)
Tekken 5: DR Online pack and full game
Uncharted Animation Overview
Ratchet and Clank launch trailer and TV ad
PS Eye Mesmerize: Trace
MotorStorm Livery packs 1 & 2
PSP Wing Mirror (F1 CE)
Riff: Everyday Shooter trailer
Uncharted - A Living Environment
Blast Factor: Advanced Research
Uncharted DEMO
MotorStorm Rascal & Governor vehicles pack
Dark Mist trailer
Folklore: The Alchemist pack
PAIN trailer
Devils' weekend trailer
Toy Home game
flOw Expansion pack
Uncharted Hunting El Dorado
Snakeball game
Resistance: Fall of Man Pack 2 - Two maps pack

December Releases (Highlights):

High Velocity Bowling
Riff:everyday Shooter
Kula World (PS One)
Uncharted TV ad
Dark Mist game
MotorStorm Domino & Adventure vehicles
Wipeout HD Trailer
Pain Game
Piyotama game - English only game
Warhawk expansion pack 1
Everybody's Golf Demo.

Mass Effect Achievements SPOILER ALERT

2007-11-01T07:57:00.000Z

There are 45 achievements worth 1000 GamerScore

Achievement Name - GamerScore
Achievement Description

Medal of Honor - 100 GamerScore
Complete 1 Mass Effect Playthrough on any setting

Medal of Heroism - 25 GamerScore
Complete Feros

Distinguished Service Medal - 25 GamerScore
Complete Eden Prime

Council Legion of Merit - 25 GamerScore
Complete Virmire

Honorarium of Corporate Service - 25 GamerScore
Complete Noveria

Long Service Medal - 25 GamerScore
Complete 2 Mass Effect Playthroughs on any setting

Distinguished Combat Medal - 25 GamerScore
Complete 1 Mass Effect playthrough on the Hardcore difficulty setting. Do not change the setting.

Medal of Valor - 50 GamerScore
Complete 1 Mass Effect playthrough on the Insanity difficulty setting. Do not change the setting.

Pistol Expert - 10 GamerScore
Register 150 Pistol Kills

Shotgun Expert - 15 GamerScore
Register 150 Shotgun Kills

Assault Rifle Expert - 15 GamerScore
Register 150 Assault Rifle Kills

Sniper Expert - 15 GamerScore
Register 150 Sniper Rifle Kills

Lift Mastery - 15 GamerScore
Use biotic Lift 75 times

Throw Mastery - 15 GamerScore
Use biotic Throw 75 times

Warp Mastery - 15 GamerScore
Use biotic Warp 75 times

Singularity Mastery - 15 GamerScore
Use biotic Singularity 75 times

Barrier Mastery - 15 GamerScore
Use biotic Barrier 75 times

Stasis Mastery - 15 GamerScore
Use biotic Stasis 75 times

Damping Specialist - 15 GamerScore
Use Damping Field 75 times

AI Hacking Specialist - 15 GamerScore
Use AI Hacking 75 times

Overlord Specialist - 15 GamerScore
Use Shield Overload 75 times

Sabotage Specialist - 15 GamerScore
Use Sabotage 75 times

First Aid Specialist - 15 GamerScore
Use medi-gel 150 times

Neural Shock Specialist - 15 GamerScore
Use Neural Shock 75 times

Scholar - 25 GamerScore
Find all primary Alien: Council Races, Extinct Races and Non-Council Races codex entries

Completionist - 25 GamerScore
Complete the majority of the game

Tactician - 25 GamerScore
Complete playthrough with shield damage greater than health damage

Medal of Exploration - 50 GamerScore
Land on an uncharted world

Rich - 25 GamerScore
Exceed 1,000,000 Credits

Dog of War - 25 GamerScore
Register 150 organic enemy kills

Geth Hunter - 25 GamerScore
Register 250 Synthetic enemy kills

Soldier Ally - 20 GamerScore
Complete the majority of the game with the Alliance soldier squad member

Sentinal Ally - 20 GamerScore
Complete the majority of the game with the Alliance sentinel squad member

Krogan Ally - 20 GamerScore
Complete the majority of the game with the Krogan squad member

Turian Ally - 20 GamerScore
Complete the majority of the game with the turian squad member

Quarian Ally - 20 GamerScore
Complete the majority of the game with the querian squad member

Asari Ally - 20 GamerScore
Complete the majority of the game with the asari squad member

Power Gamer - 20 GamerScore
Reach 50th level with one character

Extreme Power Gamer - 50 GamerScore
Reach 60th level with one character

Renegade - 15 GamerScore
Accumulate 75% of total Renegade points

Paragon - 15 GamerScore
Accumulate 75% of total Paragon points

Paramour - 10 GamerScore
Complete any romance subplot

Spectre Inductee - 15 GamerScore
Become a Spectre

Charismatic - 10 GamerScore
Use Charm or Intimidate to resolve an impossible situation

Search and Rescue - 10 GamerScore
Locate Dr. T’Soni in the Artemis Tau cluster

Metal Gear Solid 4 Delayed

2007-11-01T07:52:00.000Z

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots has been delayed for "further improvements".

The Official Statement:

Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots Release Update October 31, 2007
Konami announced today that Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots, the latest in the Metal Gear series, is scheduled to be released in the second quarter of 2008.

Konami had initially intended to release Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots this winter and has been working on the production of the title.

Konami has decided to delay the title's release in order to make further improvements to the quality of the game and provide even greater enjoyment for more customers worldwide.
Konami will continue its efforts to make Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots meet everyone's expectations.

Just as the PlayStation 3 was looking good for games.

This Week's Releases

2007-11-01T07:44:00.000Z

Games For Windows
Age of Empires III: Gold
Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties Expansion Pack
Championship Manager 2008
Flight Simulator X - Acceleration Expansion Pack
Hellgate: London

Nintendo Wii
None

PlayStation 3
BLADESTORM - The Hundred Years War
NHL 2k8
Tony Hawks: Proving Ground

XBOX 360
BLADESTORM - The Hundred Years War
Naruto: Rise of a Ninja
NBA 2k8
NHL 2k8
The Simpsons
TimeShift
Tony Hawks: Proving Ground

Burnout: Paradise Box Art Revealed

2007-10-31T20:56:00.000Z

Burnout: Paradise is out in the not to distant future and EA have released the artwork for the front cover! Give your opinion on it in the comments!

Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal - First Thoughts

2007-10-31T07:22:00.000Z

Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal has a storyline we've seen many times in the cartoon. The Evil Mad Scientist is fed up with the Looney Tunes and plans to get rid of them once and for all. Using his homemade time machine and giant ACME eraser, he will travel through time and erase the Looney Tunes and their ancestors from existance. Little does he know though that the Looney Tunes have built their own time machine, and will fight the Evil Mad Scientist to save themselves from disappearing! In this mayhem-packed action-adventure game, players can take on the role of seven different Looney Tunes characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tazmanian Devil, Foghorn Leghorn, Marvin the Martian, Gossamer and a special secret character, all rendered in high-definition, next-generation graphics. Looney Toons : Acme Arsenal serves up combat, puzzles, and vehicle-based action. Players also command an arsenal of ACME melee and projectile weapons in outrageous battles and travel to various locations such as Camelot, Ancient Egypt, Mars, and the Wild West.

What We Got To Play
We got to play the tutorial and one level with Bugs Bunny and Marvin Martian (as the game can be played in Co-op mode). The tutorial had us learning simple attacks, jumps and how to use weapons. Attacking is simply button bashing, jumping is hard but forgivable and most of the weapons can only be used when within a certain range of an enemy... one that you could just attack with!

The level started off in a castle where Bugs Bunny is lost and Marvin is flown in by the Tazmanian Devil and you simply just need to make it into the castle on a "simple" route. One thing I noticed during the game, is that at points it is too dark and the camera angles are sometimes very poor. This is purely a kid-based game which older people might only play for the achievements.

Football Dominates Charts

2007-10-30T19:12:00.000Z

The latest sales chart has been released and it seems Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 tips FIFA 2008 to the top for this week with Football Manager 2008 just behind. The highest non-sports game is the DS exclusive game, Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass at 4. The full list:

Pro Evolution 2008 (Konami)
FIFA 2008 (EA)
Football Manager 2008 (Sega)
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo)
Ratatouille (THQ)
The Orange Box (EA)
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Nintendo)
Halo 3 - (Microsoft)
High School Musical: Makin' The Cut (Disney)
Cooking Mama (505 Games)

Halo-ween Playlist

2007-10-30T18:56:00.000Z

Bungie have posted a Q&A of a special Halloween exclusive playlist called "Living Dead". The playlist will be only available for 27 hours (12:01am on the 31st October - 3:00am on the 1st November PST) and it's a good chance to get those achievements you can't get (e.g. Overkill, Triple Sword Kill). It would be a dream come true for fans if the playlist was there permanently but Bungie have hinted at it! More information on this new playlist can be found below.

Q: Infection, what’s that?

Infection is this really great gametype, inspired by a custom game devised by our community in Halo 2, which we added official support for in Halo 3. In Infection, most players start off on a Human team, with one or more players starting off as Zombies. The odds are stacked heavily against the Zombies at first, but when a Human is killed by a Zombie (as they inevitably are), they join the Zombie team and turn on their former teammates.

Q: How long will the Living Dead haunt matchmaking?

Just for Halloween, from 12:01am to 3:00am the next morning, PST. We decided to let it go a bit late into the morning to give people a chance to play when they got home from their Halloween carousing. Infection is a lot of fun when everyone is into it, but we don’t think it would make a good playlist long term, so it’s going to come and go.

And if everyone has a good time, who knows? It may return, as the restless dead are known to do.

Q: Can I get achievements in this playlist?

Yes, it is set up as a Ranked Playlist, and players will have some good opportunities to pick up a few of the harder MP achievements without any of that pesky guilt. Fending off the hungry dead is as righteous a way as any to score an Overkill. It’s also a good chance to fill out your Ranked Medals with some of the Infection medals, like Infection Spree and Hell’s Janitor.

Q: There’s more than one version of Infection in this playlist, what is each version and how does it work?

We’re using two main versions: Save One Bullet, which is close to classical Infection but with limited ammunition which keeps the Humans from holding off the Zombies forever, and Creeping Death, where the Zombies are a bit slower but shockingly invisible and deadly. Creeping Rockets is a third variant where the Humans are more heavily armed, but the Zombies are tougher too.

Q: Do the maps in Living Dead have the same set-ups that I am used to?

The Living Dead playlist will be the first to use Forge variants in Matchmaking. Lars [Bakken] and Dan [Miller] pulled out all the stops and Forged some masterful variants featuring fortified positions and anti-Zombie booby traps to help get people into the Zombie mind (which is to say, wanting to get into a Human’s mind. Directly.)

Q: Man, I love these gametypes is there any way I can get them?

Any time you play one of these variants in Matchmaking, they’re saved in your Recent Games queue (in the Custom Games lobby, go to select the game type—the Recent Games list is at the top.) They may also show up in the Bungie Favorites this week.

Q: Will there be more special hoppers in the future?

You bet.

First Assassin's Creed Review Should Be Disregarded

2007-10-30T18:45:00.000Z

Film website, Empire, earlier posted a review of one of the most anticipated games of this year, Assassin's Creed. The review was pulled down hours after being published with the following statement:

Assassin's Creed

Please note that the early review of Assassin's Creed that appeared here was published in error. The review contained misleading information about the game's control system which should be disregarded. Please wait for the final, full review, which will be published online on November 16th.

Viva Pinata: Party Animals Achievements

2007-10-30T17:07:00.001Z

Viva Pinata: Party Animals isn't out till the 16th November in the UK, and we've got the achievements! There are 44 achievements worth 1000 GamerScore

Achievement Name - GamerScore
Achievement Description

All Your Game Are Belong To Us - 50 GamerScore
Play all Challenge Events.

Social Flutterscotch - 50 GamerScore
Finish the game in first place with each of the 8 characters.

King Roario Award - 50 GamerScore
Win all Challenge Events and races in a single game.

Redhott Racer - 50 GamerScore
Finish every race.

Boy Band - 30 GamerScore
As a male character, finish a game while never losing to a female character.

Megaton - 30 GamerScore
Use the Fiesta Missile power-up on each of the 8 characters.

Chewnicorn Streak - 30 GamerScore
Win 8 Challenge Events in a row.

Girl Power - 30 GamerScore
As a female character, finish a game while never losing to a male character.

Professor Pester Award - 20 GamerScore
Hit every player with a power-up in a single race.

Kittyfloss Streak - 20 GamerScore
Win 5 Challenge Events in a row.

Rashberry Gluttony - 30 GamerScore
Collect more than 1,000 pieces of candy while playing as Fergy Fudgehog.

Artful Dodger - 20 GamerScore
Avoid the snowball in Snow-bowl Dodgeball.

Catch It if You Can - 20 GamerScore
Play a game with anyone who has this achievement to earn it. Then, you can “spread” it too.

Aiming Artist - 20 GamerScore
Hit the farthest target at least 3 times in 1 Launching Loathers game.

Do You Feel Lucky, Piñata? - 20 GamerScore
Win a game of Short Fuse! without the Loather ever detonating in your hands.

Eaglair Eye Award - 20 GamerScore
Find and use all the shortcuts in the races.

Get to Know Everyone - 20 GamerScore
Finish the game in any place with each of the 8 characters.

Host with the Most - 20 GamerScore
Host 3 games over Xbox LIVE.

Loaded Bases - 20 GamerScore
Hit the target 4 times in a row in Swing for the Stars.

Scenic Route - 20 GamerScore
Win a race without using any shortcuts.

Pacifist - 20 GamerScore
Win a race without using a Fiesta Missile, Colored Water Bomb, or Smoke Bomb.

Hi-yaaaa! - 20 GamerScore
Destroy 10 objects in a single race while playing as Petunia Pretztail.

Party Crasher - 20 GamerScore
Win 3 games over Xbox LIVE where you are not the host.

Practice Makes Perfect - 20 GamerScore
Play the game for 5 hours.

Int'l Piñata of Mystery - 20 GamerScore
Use each power-up at least once in a single game.

Don’t Be Left in the Dark - 20 GamerScore
Knock each of the other players out of the light in a single game of Spotlight Mania.

Sticky Feet - 20 GamerScore
Use the Buzzlegum Honey Slick power-up 10 times.

Strike! - 20 GamerScore
Get a strike in Bouncy Bowling.

Stuffed! - 20 GamerScore
Get more than 99 candies in any single Challenge Event.

Tricky Treats - 20 GamerScore
Destroy at least 25 pumpkins in a single game of Messy Mayhem.

Rainbow of Piñatas - 20 GamerScore
Play each of the 8 characters in 1 of their alternate colors.

Game Guru - 15 GamerScore
Win the game.

Coulda Been a Contender - 15 GamerScore
Win 1 race.

Quick Like a Bunnycomb - 15 GamerScore
Hit 3 speed strips in a single race.

Whirlm Streak - 15 GamerScore
Win 3 Challenge Events in a row.

No Wipeouts - 15 GamerScore
Never fall down in a single race while playing as Franklin Fizzlybear.

Classic Gamer Reward - 10 GamerScore
Enter the classic gamers code while on the START screen. For a hint, go right into your manual…

Bear Hug - 10 GamerScore
Never use a power-up on Franklin Fizzlybear while playing as Florence Fizzlybear.

Flutterscotch Quickness - 10 GamerScore
Use the Flutterscotch Wings power-up to overtake an opponent.

Share and Share Alike - 10 GamerScore
Play a game with someone who hasn’t unlocked a Challenge Event you have unlocked.

Mama's Boy - 10 GamerScore
Lose to Fergy Fudgehog while playing as Francine Fudgehog.

Making Friends - 10 GamerScore
Play a game over Xbox LIVE, or invite someone to an online game.

Popularity Contest - 10 GamerScore
Complete a game with all 4 characters playing as Hudson Horstachio.

Gassy Gusts! - 10 GamerScore
Get your ship all the way to the finish line in Burps Ahoy!

Scene Stealer - 10 GamerScore
Beat Hudson Horstachio while playing as Hailey Horstachio.

Seeing Double - 10 GamerScore
Finish a game while playing as the same Piñata as at least 1 other opponent.

Squished! - 10 GamerScore
Jump and ground pound each of the other players at least once in Raisant Stomp.

Keep Your Friends Close - 10 GamerScore
Complete a multiplayer game offline.

Think Fast! - 5 GamerScore
Never get hit in an entire contest by a Fiesta Missile while playing as Paulie Pretztail.

So Awesome! - 10 GamerScore
You, the master of unlocking.

What Your Band Will Be Rocking Out To!

2007-10-29T21:28:00.001Z

Rock Band is out early next year and a list of the soundtracks your band will be performing have been announced!

1960s
Rolling Stones "Gimme Shelter"

1970s
Aerosmith "Train Kept a Rollin'"*
The Who "Won't Get Fooled Again"
Boston "Foreplay/Long Time"
Mountain "Mississippi Queen"*
The Police "Next to You"
David Bowie "Suffragette City"
Black Sabbath "Paranoid"*
Blue Oyster Cult "Don't Fear the Reaper"
The Ramones "Blitzkrieg Bop"
Deep Purple "Highway Star"
KISS "Detroit Rock City"
Molly Hatchet "Flirtin' With Disaster"
The Outlaws "Green Grass & High Tides"*
Sweet "Ballroom Blitz"*

1980s
Rush "Tom Sawyer"*
Bon Jovi "Wanted Dead or Alive"
The Clash "Should I Stay or Should I Go"
Faith No More "Epic"
R.E.M. "Orange Crush"
Iron Maiden "Run to the Hills"*

1990s
Foo Fighters "Learn to Fly"
Metallica "Enter Sandman"
Nirvana "In Bloom"
Stone Temple Pilots "Vasoline"
Weezer "Say It Ain't So"
Smashing Pumpkins "Cherub Rock"
Radiohead "Creep"
Beastie Boys "Sabotage"
Hole "Celebrity Skin"
Garbage "I Think I'm Paranoid"
Soundgarden "Black Hole Sun"

2000s
The Hives "Main Offender"
Queens of the Stone Age "Go With the Flow"
The Strokes "Reptilia"
Jet "Are You Gonna Be My Girl"
OK Go "Here It Goes Again"
Nine Inch Nails "The Hand That Feeds"
Pixies "Wave of Mutilation"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Maps"
Red Hot Chili Peppers "Dani California"
Coheed & Cambria "Welcome Home"
Fallout Boy "Dead on Arrival"
The Killers "When You Were Young"
New Pornographers "Electric Version"

*Indicates a cover song, all others songs are original master recordings

Mutants Storming Halloween Arcade Release

2007-10-29T21:16:00.000Z

Mutant Storm Empire will be released on the XBOX Live Arcade this Wednesday for 800 Microsoft Points (about £6.64).

Press Release:
There's this evil emperor, see, and … well, he's evil. Now someone has decided to put a stop to the whole evilness thing, and that someone is you. It's the right thing to do! Besides, in Mutant Storm Empire, it'll be fun. Battle through line after line of the emperor's minion horde, destroying absolutely everything you can! Blast through bunches of robots, crush colonies of aquatic monsters, smash swarms of UFOs, and demolish devastating bosses. It's a continuous adventure through four immense, strikingly vibrant worlds, and you can fight alone or join forces with a friend in two-player cooperative mode. Enjoy the frenzy!

The art of blasting: Practice the way of "Blastikkidoo" or the art of blasting, as you plow through the different worlds in Mutant Storm Empire. This all-new sequel to Mutant Storm Reloaded ratchets up the competitive challenge!
Numerous levels: The four different worlds feature sixteen challenging levels, all in gorgeous high-def 3-D graphics.
Multiplayer modes: Play co-op offline with a friend, or head into Xbox LIVE® territory and go multiplayer for up to 2 people.
Achievements: Twelve new achievements to master ranging from easy, such as getting a single combo of beasties, to difficult, such as completing the game on the Black Belt level.

London Games Festival

2007-10-28T22:01:00.000Z

Taking place from Saturday 27th October till Friday 2nd November is "London Games Festival". The festival lets players into a lounge to play some of the latest and upcoming games including Scene It!, Guitar Hero III, Dancing Stage Universe, Halo 3, Call of Duty 4 and Project Gotham Racing 4.

There is also prize competitions for certain games such as Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 and Halo 3 so all that practice could come into some use.

The Lounge opens from 12pm to 8pm every day, except on Sunday 28th October when it's only open until 6pm.

If you're interested in going, the address is: Vinyl Factory Marshall St, London W1F 7QH. You can also get there through Phonica Records, Poland St, London, W1F 7NG. Nearest Tubes: Oxford Circus & Tottenham Court Road.

PROGRAMME OF EVENTS:

Saturday 27^th October 12pm – 8pm
All Day: Xbox 360 blockbuster games

Competition: Dancing Stage Universe

Sunday 28^th October 12pm – 6pm
All Day: Xbox 360 blockbuster ganes

Competition: Scene It!

Monday 29^th October 12pm – 8pm
All Day: Xbox 360 blockbuster games

Competition: Dancing Stage Universe

Tuesday 30th October 12pm – 8pm
All Day: Activision Day

Competition 1: Guitar Hero 3. 6pm – 8pm

Competition 2: Call of Duty 4 Tournament

Wednesday 31^st October 12pm – 8pm
All Day: Xbox 360 blockbuster games

Competition: Guitar Hero 3. 6pm – 8pm:

Tournament: Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2

Thursday 1^st November 12pm – 8pm
All Day: Konami Day

Competition: Dancing Stage Universe. 6pm – 8pm

Tournament: PES Rankings Tournament

Friday 2^nd November 12pm – 8pm
All Day: Xbox 360 blockbuster games

Competition: Scene It! 3pm – 8pm

Tournament: Halo 3

For more information visit the Official XBOX site.

No Downloadable Content for EA's Skate

2007-10-28T12:56:00.000Z

The EA Black Box Executive Producer, Scott Blackwood, has told EGM.

"We're not planning any new content for Skate 1 ... We didn't want to go back and ask people for more money to get more shoes and shirts. That's not how we wanted to enter this market."

Blackwood continued to talk about adding female characters, clothing and hairstyles;

"We really wanted women to be in there and have all sorts of cool stuff to wear and hairstyles. You have to choose between watering the whole thing down and making it just really mediocre for everybody, or do you focus? We decided to focus. I will say, however, that was the hardest decision on this project. But we are going to make it up to you. When we do it -- and we will -- it's going to be done very well."

Crysis Single Player Demo Now Available

2007-10-27T20:17:00.001+01:00

After a slight delay, the Crysis Single Player demo is now available to download from the "Crysis Demo" site.

Minimum System Requirements:

OS - Windows XP or Windows Vista
Processor - 2.8 GHz or fast (XP) or 3.2 GHz or faster* (Vista)
Memory - 1.0 GB RAM (XP) or 1.5GB RAM (Vista)
Video Card - 256MB**
Hard Drive - 12GB
Sound Card - DirectX 9.0c compatible

Recommended System Requirements:
OS - Windows XP / Vista
Processor - Interl Core 2 DUO @ 2.2GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+
Memory - 2.0GB RAM
GPU - NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS/640 or similar

*Supported Processors: Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz for Vista) or faster, Intel Core 2.0 GHz (2.2 GHz for Vista) or faster, AMD Athlon 2800+ (3200+ for Vista) or faster.

**Supported chipsets: NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT or greater; ATI Radeon 9800 Pro (Radeon X800 Pro for Vista) or greater. Laptop versions of these chipsets may work but are not supported. Integrated chipsets are not supported. Updates to your video and sound card drivers may be required.

The Orange Box Gets Second Update

2007-10-27T20:07:00.000+01:00

Valve has released the second update for The Orange Box with this update focusing on Team Fortress 2, one of the five games included in the box। The update fixes:

- Reduces network bandwidth usage in multiplayer.
- Improves overall game performance.
- Arranges search results to favor preferred host conditions.
- Improves searching for ranked games.
- Addresses a possible false report of too little storage space on larger hard drives.

"Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action" - First Thoughts

2007-10-27T13:56:00.000+01:00

"Scene It?" is a well-known DVD game where players answer questions about movies from famous quotes to answering questions about a movie clip. The DVD game has become so popular, special editions have been made for certain series and films (such as Friends and James Bond). Now, Microsoft are using the license for "Scene It?" to make a family-friendly game to enjoy this Christmas.

The basic idea of "Scene It?" LCA is to answer a series of themed and general knowledge movie trivia questions, linked to a series of clips from movies. You're probably thinking, "Haven't I played this before?" Well, "Scene It?: Lights Camera Action" is simply a very similar version to the PlayStation 2's series "Buzz!". They both have specially made controllers, lots of questions, movie clips and great mutliplayer value. The game takes you to different parts of a studio, to answer different questions in different categories. There are twenty categories which are full of different question types such as "What's missing?" and "Finish the quotes". You answer three questions in each category before going onto the next one. Some categories require players to buzz in using the big button on the remote or the D-Pad on the controller, and then to select the answer using A, B, X or Y on the controller or remote.

"Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action" looks promising and fun, but it seems the novelty side of it won't last as long as we hoped or the single player, but get a few friends round and you'll be laughing at each others movie trivia. The demo is available on the Marketplace right now!

Burnout: Paradise Release Date and Demo Announced

2007-10-27T13:33:00.002+01:00

It's been confirmed that Criterion and EA's upcoming racer, Burnout: Paradise, will be released on the 22nd January 2008. A demo has also been confirmed which will be available on the PlayStation Store, XBOX Live Marketplace and Internet, as of December.

Burnout: Paradise is the fifth installment of the Burnout series, which allows players to cause havoc in Paradise City. It's also the first Burnout title, to have no menus. Instead, an open world awaits (similar to Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Test Drive Unlimited).

WriGaming

Grand Theft Auto IV Achievement List

Bully: Scholarship Edition (XBOX 360) Review

The Spiderwick Chronicles (XBOX 360) Review

Burnout: Paradise Achievements

99th and 100th Arcade Title Reveiled!

XBOX Live Activity (5th - 11th November)

This Week's Releases

Halo 3 Maps and Modes Revealed

Good Night Fight Night Studio

Double Trouble Arcade Releases

"Guitar Queer-o"

Weekly News Round-Up

PlayStation Network Releases Announced

Mass Effect Achievements *SPOILER ALERT*

Metal Gear Solid 4 Delayed

This Week's Releases

Burnout: Paradise Box Art Revealed

Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal - First Thoughts

Football Dominates Charts

Halo-ween Playlist

First Assassin's Creed Review Should Be Disregarded

Viva Pinata: Party Animals Achievements

What Your Band Will Be Rocking Out To!

Mutants Storming Halloween Arcade Release

London Games Festival

No Downloadable Content for EA's Skate

Crysis Single Player Demo Now Available

The Orange Box Gets Second Update

"Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action" - First Thoughts

Burnout: Paradise Release Date and Demo Announced

Mass Effect Achievements SPOILER ALERT