French publisher Focus Home Interactive has announced today plans to bring TrackMania United, the latest title in the popular TrackMania PC arcade racing series, to North America. Although the game won't see a full retail release until February 2007, starting on November 17, 2006 Focus Home will launch an early special relase offering 10,000 copies of TrackMania United for purchase only online.

Why the early release you ask? Simple. TrackMania United will feature a content editor toolset that will enable players to create new paintjobs, tracks, environments and videos, and Focus Home wants to provide fans a head start at developing original content to share with the game's community. So mark your calendars and get ready for an unbridled, high-octane arcade racing experience!

More information on TrackMania United can be found at www.focus-home.com.

Guild Wars Nightfall, the second expansion pack to the hit online RPG series, has shipped to retailers in North America and Europe and should be showing up on store shelves as of today, with the game's servers going live as of 12:01 AM PDT this morning.

Set in the arrid desert lands of Elona, the new Nightfall expansion promises a higher focus on storytelling compared to the previous installments, all the while delivering a ton of new game content including 20 new missions, hundreds of new skills, new customizable Hero companions and one-on-one PVP Hero Battles, two new professions (the Dervish and Paragon), and new armor.

For you collectors out there, also note that Guild Wars Nightfall comes in both a standard version and a Collector's Edition, which contains a "making of..." DVD, a collector's art book, collectible skill pins, a character mini-standee, an Elona map poster, and the official soundtrack CD. That's quite a collection of goodies!

2K Games and Valve have announced an agreement this week that has brought four hit PC strategy titles from 2K's roster to Steam. The four titles include Sid Meier's Civilization IV, Sid Meier's Civilization III, Sid Meier's Pirates!, and Shattered Union.

All four titles are now available for purchase on Steam, Civ IV at $49.95 and the remaining three for $29.95. Other 2K Games titles are possible future additions to Steam as well, however at this time no details have been released.

Gearing up for its launch-day release on the PS3, Full Auto 2: Battlelines is set to improve upon the original game previously released on the Xbox 360 in every way, one of which being some great licensed music. Just this week Sega has announced the game's official soundtrack, and we are here to report the full song lineup:

We Are Scientists - "Callbacks"
Stone Sour - "30 30 150"
The Exies - "Slow Drain"
Megadeth - "Symphony of Destruction"
Living End - "Carry Me Home"
Methods of Mayhem - "Crash"
Wolfmother - "Colossal"
Sum 41 - "No Reason"
The Used - "Take It Away"
Stretch Arm Strong - "The Hardest Part"
Strung Out - "Analog"

Sega has also launched the official product website for Full Auto 2, which you can check out at www.sega.com/fullauto2.

Lik-Sang.com, the popular gaming retailer from Hong Kong, announced yesterday that it is forced to close down due to multiple legal actions brought against it by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Sony claimed that Lik-Sang infringed its trade marks, copyright and registered design rights by selling Sony PSP consoles from Asia to European customers, and have recently obtained a judgment in the High Court of London (England) rendering Lik-Sang's sales of PSP consoles unlawful.

Lik-Sang.com will not be in the position to accept any new orders and will cancel and refund all existing orders that have already been placed. Furthermore, Lik-Sang is working closely with banks and PayPal to refund any store credits held by the company, and the customer support department is taking care of any open transactions such as pending RMAs or repairs and shipping related matters. The staff of Lik-Sang will make sure that nobody will get hurt in the crossfire of this ordeal.

A Sony spokesperson declined to comment directly on the lawsuit against Lik-Sang, but recently went on to tell Gamesindustry.biz that "ultimately, we're trying to protect consumers from being sold hardware that does not conform to strict EU or UK consumer safety standards, due to voltage supply differences et cetera; is not - in PS3's case - backwards compatible with either PS1 or PS2 software; will not play European Blu-Ray movies or DVDs; and will not be covered by warranty".

Lik Sang strongly disagrees with Sony's opinion that their customers need this kind of protection and pointed out that PSP consoles shipped from Lik-Sang contained genuine Sony 100V-240V AC Adapters that carry CE and other safety marks and are compatible world wide. All PSP consoles were in conformity with all EU and UK consumer safety regulations.

Furthermore, Sony have failed to disclose to the London High Court that not only the world wide gaming community in more than 100 countries relied on Lik-Sang for their gaming needs, but also Sony Europe's very own top directors repeatedly got their Sony PSP hard or software imports in nicely packed Lik-Sang parcels with free Lik-Sang Mugs or Lik-Sang Badge Holders, starting just two days after Japan's official release, as early as 14th of December 2004 (more than nine months earlier than the legal action). The list of PSP related Sony Europe orders reads like the who's who of the videogames industry, and includes Ray Maguire (Managing Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd), Alan Duncan (UK Marketing Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd), Chris Sorrell (Creative Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd), Rob Parkin (Development Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited), just to name a few.

"Today is Sony Europe victory about PSP, tomorrow is Sony Europe’s ongoing pressure about PlayStation 3. With this precedent set, next week could already be the stage for complaints from Sony America about the same thing, or from other console manufacturers about other consoles to other regions, or even from any publisher about any specific software title to any country they don’t see fit. It’s the beginning of the end… of the World as we know it", stated Pascal Clarysse, formerly known as the Marketing Manager of Lik-Sang.com.

"Blame it on Sony. That's the latest dark spot in their shameful track record as gaming industry leader. The Empire finally 'won', few dominating retailers from the UK probably will rejoice the news, but everybody else in the gaming world lost something today."

Konami has announced this week the development of Konami Classic Series: Arcade Hits, a new classic games compilation for the Nintendo DS featuring over 12 of Konami's arcade hits. In the press release, Konami confirmed these titles as part of the collection: Circus Charlie, Contra, Gradius, Roc'N Rope, Rush'N Attack, Time Pilot, Track and Field, and Yie-Ar Kung Fu.

These games, and more yet to be revealed, will be playable in their original forms in addition to new remixed versions that take advantage of the DS's dual screen display. Arcade Hits will also feature wireless support for playing against others and sharing high scores and replays, an audio player option for listening to over 100 songs and sound effects, and historical information, trivia and vintage artwork for every included game.

Konami Classic Series: Arcade Hits sure sounds like a winner to me, but it won't be seeing a release until March 2007. We'll continue to keep you posted on the game's progress as new details are released.

Following after its one-week multiplayer beta trial, the full retail release of Phantasy Star Universe has officially shipped into North American stores today for the Xbox 360, PS2 and PC.

From Sega and Sonic Team, Phantasy Star Universe is the latest installment in the classic Phantasy Star franchise. Combining an in-depth single-player campaign containing a captivating storyline spanning over 40 hours of gameplay with a robust massively-multiplayer online component, Phantasy Star Universe is an epic sci-fi action-RPG experience to die for.

Phantasy Star Universe is available now at an MSRP of $59.95 on the Xbox 360 and $49.95 on the PS2 and PC, with an ESRB rating of "T" for Teen. To play online, players will also need to purchase a GUARDIANS License, which costs $9.99 per month or $49.99 for a six-month membership.

Watch out soon for our full review of Phantasy Star Universe.

Courtesy of our friends at Atlus USA, we are pleased to offer you, our loyal readers, the chance to win a shiny new Touch Detective drinking mug (pictured below).


To enter for your shot at winning, visit Atlus' official Touch Detective website at www.atlus.com/touchdetective/ and do a little bit of detective work of your own by searching the site and finding the answers to these five simple questions:

1. What is Funghi's motto?
2. What is Penelope's favorite food?
3. Why did Mackenzie become a detective?
4. Who simply can't get enough of stars and lime gelatin?
5. Who is Mackenzie's butler?

Once you have solved the questions, simply email your name and the answers to acegamez.contests@gmail.com, and if you answer all five correctly you will be entered into our random drawing for the Touch Detective mug. The contest officially opens today and we will be accepting entry submissions until October 31st, with the winner to be announced on November 1st. Also note that you must reside in the US to be eligible. We look forward to your submissions!

Touch Detective is due out for the Nintendo DS on October 24th. Check back next week for our full review.

In a sign of its support for the PS3, EA has boastfully announced that it currently has 30 games in development for Sony's next-gen console. Out of that 30, however, EA states that only eight to ten of them will be available between the PS3's launch date of November 17th and late March 2007.

Here is the latest list of announced PS3 titles EA has cooking away:

Army of Two
Burnout 5
Battlefield: Bad Company
Def Jam: Icon
Fight Night Round 3
Madden NFL 07
Medal of Honor: Airborne
NBA Street
Need for Speed Carbon
SKATE
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007

Electronic Arts, in partnership with Def Jam Interactive, announced today that Def Jam: Icon will be released for the PS3 and the Xbox 360 in March 2007 in North America and Europe. Infusing hip-hop music, culture and lifestyle into the gameplay, EA Chicago and urban lifestyle powerhouse Def Jam Interactive, continue to push the boundaries of game development bringing unique and innovative content to the next generation of gaming.

"Music is the cornerstone of hip-hop culture so we wanted to incorporate music and rhythm into the actual gameplay mechanics," said Kudo Tsunoda, executive producer and General Manager of EA Chicago. "In Def Jam: Icon, we are changing the way fighting games are played! We are completely innovating the role of the environments in the games, moving from the typical lifeless arenas the hip-hop celebrities are fighting in to environments that play an instrumental part in the fight where they will react to the music and interact with both characters like a third fighter."

EA Chicago is delivering star-stunning action and bone breaking beats as players live out the life of a hip hop mogul, going from rags to riches. Incorporating hip-hop culture into every aspect of the game, Def Jam: Icon will deliver the intensity of a no-holds-barred street fight but with style and rhythm. Music will effect how players fight in each venue and environmental interactions and hazards will become a key strategy to staying alive.

EA Chicago's unique fighting gameplay controls introduce a new way for gamers to fight as they assume the role of top celebrity characters such as Ludacris, T.I. and Big Boi. Innovative controls give better feedback to players so they feel like they're actually throwing the combat moves. Gamers can now fight with the style and flash of the superstar personalities.

"The Def Jam Interactive -- EA relationship has expanded into a new frontier with EA Chicago's breakthrough technology. We have worked very closely with the team to ensure that authentic hip-hop culture and lifestyle permeates through every part of the product. Def Jam: Icon will guarantee the ultimate combination of a real hip-hop experience and revolutionary fighting gameplay," said Lauren Wirtzer, VP Marketing, Def Jam Enterprises.

Def Jam: Icon is scheduled to ship in March 2007 for the PS3 system and Xbox 360. We'll have more coverage on this hot new title as new details emerge.

With the Wii on the way in only a month's time now, the official launch lineup of first and third party games is finally starting to come together, and THQ is the latest to confirm its launch roster for the Wii by announcing that four titles will be available for the console on day one. THQ's Wii launch lineup will include Cars, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Barnyard and SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab.

"Nintendo has a remarkable ability to inspire game developers to create compelling interactive experiences for their increasingly innovative game systems," said Kelly Flock, executive vice president of worldwide publishing, THQ. "As the #1 third-party publisher of software across all Nintendo gaming systems, THQ's library of popular mass-market brands aligns perfectly with Nintendo's strategy of creating fun and accessible experiences for the new Wii system."

"THQ's proven brands have long resonated with Nintendo's extremely dedicated audience," says Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "Wii's potential to bring gaming to the masses using the ground-breaking Wii Remote, presents a unique opportunity for THQ. We welcome the addition of their strong lineup to the best launch library ever for a Nintendo console."

Although THQ's Wii launch titles are ports of already released current-gen games, each game promises new features that will specifically take advantage of the unique gameplay possibilities the Wii Remote brings to the table. The current-gen versions of the games in question have all been surprisingly solid, so they should definitely make for quality family-friendly Wii games to watch for on November 19th.

This week has been a busy one in the world of Steam, Valve's broadband online digital distribution platform, seeing the announcements of a number of great new games.

First up, Naked Sky Entertainment announced earlier in the week that its Unreal Engine 3-powered RoboBlitz, a humorous, physics-based action game starring a robot named Blitz who must use wacky weapons and gadgets to save his world, will be landing on Steam in the coming weeks for $14.99, and in 8 different languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish). Visit www.roboblitz.com for more game info.

Also this week, Majesco and Valve announced that Tim Schafer and his Double Fine Productions team's brilliant platformer Psychonauts is now available for digital download on Steam for $19.99.

Just in today, Monte Cristo Games' impressive city builder game City Life is now available on Steam as well, priced at $39.95.

And finally, Activision and Valve have also today announced a new agreement that will see four of Activision's titles distributed via Steam, including GUN, Call of Duty, Call of Duty: United Offensive and Call of Duty 2. No dates were provided as to when these titles will be available for download.

PawleyScape, www.pawleyscape.com, is proud to announce release of its new independent game FastCrawl. FastCrawl is a quick and highly replayable, fantasy role-playing game. You control a party of heroes exploring a dungeon on an epic quest. To succeed you must engage in exciting combat against many foes, find powerful items to help you on your quest, avoid fiendish traps, save another champion or two, specialize your characters abilities as they level, and carefully explore your surroundings... all in as little as thirty minutes.

Every time you play FastCrawl you will have a new game experience as you explore a different dungeon, lead a different party of heroes, face different monsters, and find different treasure. An intelligent game generation system will make sure that no two games are the same.

Play at the level of difficulty and duration of game that you wish; enjoy a leisurely thirty minute break in the game's pleasant environments, or face insurmountable odds in an hour of nail-biting dungeon crawling action. The game is entirely turn based, so you can easily play it in the background while doing something else.

Download the free FastCrawl Demo from www.pawleyscape.com and join the online forum to discuss your successes, failures, and make suggestions for future changes to the FastCrawl landscape.

Nintendo and AiLive Inc. announce the immediate availability of LiveMove, a groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence product, that enables the Wii Remote to learn.

Instead of complicated programming, developers need only take a few minutes to train the Wii Remote by examples. LiveMove lets developers focus directly on creative work without the burden of onerous coding requirements, helping them quickly unleash the potential of Wii. The only limitation is the game creator's imagination.

"The Wii coupled with AiLive LiveMove will usher in a new era of natural game control," commented AiLive Chairman Dr. Wei Yen." Powered by AiLive's patented Context Learning, LiveMove will allow the game industry to move away from indirect digital control to more natural analog control for the first time."

"In early 2006, I challenged Dr. Wei Yen and his AI scientists to develop AIware for the Wii Remote. When Nintendo's development teams saw LiveMove, we instantly recognized how it would greatly increase our ability to explore and experiment with new concepts and make our lives easier," says Genyo Takeda, Senior Managing Director/General Manager of Integrated Research & Development Division, Nintendo Co., Ltd. "This revolutionary tool liberates the imaginations of game creators. We are more than happy to share this collaborative LiveMove tool with independent Wii software developers all over the world. From a cowboy's lasso to a samurai's sword or a chef's cooking utensils, we just can't wait to play the developers' new, 'unexpected' applications."

LiveMove is currently available exclusively to Wii developers and priced at a mass-adoption license fee of $2,500 per seat. Tutorials and demos will be offered by AiLive. For detailed information about LiveMove, visit AiLive's website at www.AiLive.net.

Mischief and mayhem will hit the handhelds with the release of Activision, Inc.'s Over the Hedge: Hammy Goes Nuts! for the Game Boy Advance. Starring the beloved characters from the hit DreamWorks Animation film "Over the Hedge," this all-new adventure re-teams Hammy with RJ the raccoon, Verne the turtle and Stella the skunk, and sets them on a quest into the 'burbs' when Hammy's beloved cable TV goes out and they have to restore the signal - and Hammy's happiness. Over the Hedge: Hammy Goes Nuts for the Game Boy Advance is available now for a suggested retail price of $29.99. A Nintendo DS version of the game will be available on October 24 for the same suggested retail price and Over the Hedge: Hammy Goes Nuts! for the PSP (PlayStation Portable) system will hit retail stores in November for a suggested retail price of $39.99. All versions are rated "E" for Everyone.

"Building on the success of the 'Over the Hedge' film and video game, we have worked with DreamWorks Animation to create an all-new movie-inspired adventure," said Kim Salzer, vice president of global brand management, Activision Publishing. "Over the Hedge: Hammy Goes Nuts gives kids the chance to further engage themselves in the world of their favorite woodland creatures as they experience even more of their signature humor, friendship and fun."

Over the Hedge: Hammy Goes Nuts! for the Game Boy Advance features 30 levels where players play as nine different characters and are equipped with boomerangs, golf clubs and other backyard items. In Quick Play mode, gamers can visit all unlocked levels to earn high scores. Players can also choose to play with friends in hot-seat multiplayer mode, which allows up to four people to play in any of the previously unlocked levels.

In the Nintendo DS game, players help Hammy and their favorite woodland creatures explore neighborhood homes for items that will help them get revenge on Dwayne the Exterminator. Over the Hedge: Hammy Goes Nuts! for the Nintendo DS also takes advantage of the touch screen system, enhanced dual-screen display and lets fans re-live moments from the game via a replay feature.

In the PSP system version, fans interact with new characters, explore 3D environments and experience "Hammy Time," which allows Hammy to race around and overcome opponents in the blink of an eye. Players will also experience wireless multiplayer gameplay, 3D and interactive environments, and new characters.

Oxygen Interactive is pleased to confirm the release date for its eagerly awaited ProStroke Golf: World Tour 2007 for PSP System. The date is set and stock will hit the shelves on the 10th November 2006.

To celebrate this fact, Oxygen today releases its PSP (Playstation Portable) play guide; a manual to explain just how its renowned control system, ProStroke, translates to the PSP system.

ProStroke Golf: World Tour 2007 is a revolutionary golf game that for the first time gives the player total control over the shots they play. Until now, many golf games have given the player limited control, offering an analogue swing for example, yet keeping many of the shots such as chip or punch as menu options rather than part of a golfer's swing. ProStroke Golf is unique in that it tackles this issue, giving the player the ability to infinitely vary their shots to play exactly how they wish. There's much more to ProStroke Golf: World Tour 2007 than the new control method though; a variety of exciting game modes and an extremely powerful yet easy to use course designer round off a complete golfing package.

Introduced in an interactive tutorial, the game's ProStroke centrepiece control system is easy to pick up, yet takes a while to master as you explore new ways of shaping your shots and tackling both the fantasy and licensed courses on offer. The tutorial will teach you all you need to know about the ProStroke control method; you'll learn to add power to your swing by shifting the golfer's weight through the shot, how to chip shots and add backspin by keeping the weight on the back foot, plus many more skills.

GameCity in collaboration with HMV is stunned to announce the opportunity to win an original TEKKEN 3 coin-op machine at the exclusive festival tournament, taking place in-store. With entrants to the tournament needed to register online at www.GameCity.org before the 20, the tournaments will begin on Wednesday 25th, October - climaxing in the final at noon on Saturday 28th.

Tim Ellis, HMV Head of Games comments: "HMV is hugely committed to promoting and selling new Games titles and formats, and we're delighted that our Nottingham store will shortly be able to tap into the energy and excitement that's been generated by GameCity through the Tekken 'Play the Past' promotion."

The TEKKEN exhibit forms part of the 'PLAY THE PAST' series at Gamecity, in which classic machines are placed in different locations around the city - offering players the chance to trace the history of play whilst getting some mild aerobic exercise.

In addition to this, global videogame champion Bill Carlton - subject of the documentary High-Score, premiering on Friday 27th - will be appearing in-store on Friday in a special series of 'Beat Bill' sessions.

Places in the tournament are limited, and you need to be available to play between 25-28th October so participants are urged to register as soon as possible by email to Tekken@gamecity.org

You also potentially need space for a Tekken cabinet.

Following its original announcement that we previously reported yesterday, Sega has since pushed back the starting date for the Phantasy Star Universe open multiplayer beta program for the Xbox 360 from the 11th and 12th to both days this weekend in order to provide more Live users with a chance to try out the game. So if you were scouring over the Live Marketplace today waiting for the demo to go up (like I was), now you know why it didn't. Even with the slight delay, the beta trail period cutoff date of October 18th is still in place. Head over to phantasystaruniverse.com for further details.

Sega of America and Sega Europe today announced After Burner: Black Falcon for the PSP. Developed by Planet Moon Studios, After Burner: Black Falcon is the first arcade-style flight combat title exclusively for the PSP, combining intensive air combat with a multitude of explosions that allow gamers to relive the experience of the classic After Burner arcade game. In addition to the in-depth customization of 19 officially licensed military planes, gamers can compete against friends via ad-hoc in a variety of multiplayer modes, and for the first time ever, fly solo in a story-rich single-player campaign.

A terrorist cell called Black Falcon has infiltrated a top-secret CIA facility, escaping with 13 fighter jets. As a member of a highly classified military group, players must to do whatever is necessary to retrieve these fighter planes before they are sold to other terrorist cells. Utilizing an assortment of hi-tech planes such as the F-14D Tomcat, F-15E Strike Eagle, and F-22 Raptor, players engage in high-speed aerial combat as they dogfight their way through dangerous terrain to seek and destroy all terrorist targets.

"SEGA is revitalizing its vault of classic franchises for the current generation of gamers, and a new version of After Burner is the perfect fan-favorite to bring to a portable system," said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President of SEGA of America, Inc. "After Burner: Black Falcon's ease of play and intense arcade action has been taken to a whole new level with a slew of customizable licensed aircraft and parts, and multiplayer modes which allow for both competitive and co-op play."

"As huge fans of the original After Burner, we are delighted to re-imagine this classic arcade franchise," said Bob Stevenson, CEO, Planet Moon Studios. "Building After Burner: Black Falcon from the ground-up enables us to craft the game with PSP features in mind with all-new multiplayer modes, customizable jets and over-the-top gameplay. Most importantly, it's approximately 9000% more portable than the original arcade cabinet."

After Burner: Black Falcon takes flight with intense arcade-style air combat, where gamers will fly at maximum speeds using high-powered weapons to destroy land and air-based enemies. With the robust customization, players can arm each military jet with an array of weapons, design customized aircrafts, and improve performance by installing a variety of engine components for faster, more maneuverable fighter planes. Players will also be able to acquire various weapons and aircraft by defeating squadrons of enemies and special bosses.

Numerous multiplayer challenges will be available in competitive and co-op modes. Gamers can challenge up to seven other players competitively via ad-hoc in a variety of modes, or work with another pilot to achieve co-op goals.

After Burner: Black Falcon will be available for the PSP in Spring 2007. Stay tuned for more game updates right here at AceGamez.

Sega of America and Sega Europe have announced plans for an open multiplayer beta program for Phantasy Star Universe on the Xbox 360. For two days only, today, October 11th and tomorrow, October 12th, Sega will offer a free beta download demo on the Xbox Live Marketplace that will be playable for a one-week trial period closing on October 18th. Should you download in time to take part in the beta trial, you'll be able to get a sneak peek at the rich online multiplayer half of this highly anticipated action-RPG.

In other Phantasy Star Universe news, Sega has also announced the GUARDIANS License pricing program for the final game's online play, which will require monthly payments of $9.99 in order to play, or a six-month discount payment option priced at $49.99. Thankfully, PSU will also feature an in-depth single-player story mode for those who'd rather fly solo.

Phantasy Star Universe is scheduled to ship into stores for the Xbox 360, PS2 and PC on October 24th, so you'd better hop on Live and try out this exciting new Phantasy Star adventure for free while you can. We'll report back soon with our full hands-on impressions.

Fight Night Round 3 delivered one of the first true next-gen gameplay experiences when it hit the Xbox 360 earlier this year, and with its exclusive new content the upcoming PS3 version, which EA has just announced will be shipping in the US on December 12, 2006, will easily do the same to boost the launch window offerings of Sony's powerhouse console. Exclusive to the PS3 version of Fight Night Round 3 will be a new first-person "Get in the Ring" mode that will allow you to fight through the eyes of your boxer, split-screen multiplayer action (don't worry, online play isnt going anywhere), and full ESPN integration featuring streaming radio, ESPN motion, news ticker updates, and ESPNEWS. Fight Night Round 3 was amazing on the 360, and there is no doubt it'll be a pure knockout on the PS3!

Online search engine giant, Google, has confirmed they are planning to buy the increasingly popular online video sharing website, YouTube, for a princely sum of $1.65 billion. YouTube, a business - said to have been started in a garage - which was founded in 2005, quickly became a website where users could share their videoed opinions on anything that they wished, or TV companies could air their pilot shows online without having to pay for anything. It opened up a whole new-dimension to advertising, and YouTube's daily hits keep growing.

Google, probably the world's most accessed website, may now be one step closer to dominating the world! How long will it be before it starts collaborating with other hugely influential companies like eBay, or even, Microsoft? *shudders*

Am I the only one that thinks 'GooTube' just doesn't sound right?

With the 2006 DigitalLife consumer technology, gaming and entertainment event set to kick off later this week in New York, Konami has revealed its lineup of holiday release titles that will be in playable form at its booth on the show floor. Konami's DigitalLife 2006 lineup includes the following:

• Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (Nintendo DS)
• Dance Dance Revolution SUPERNOVA (PlayStation 2)
• Dance Dance Revolution ULTRAMIX 4 (Xbox)
• Dance Dance Revolution UNIVERSE (Xbox 360)
• Death Jr. 2: Root of Evil (PSP)
• Elebits (Wii)
• Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol (PlayStation 2)
• Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (PSP)
• My Frogger Toy Trials (Nintendo DS)
• Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 2)
• Winx Club: The Quest for the Codex (Nintendo DS)
• Xiaolin Showdown (PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS)
• Konami mobile games

At its booth, Konami will also be hosting a special "Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Virtual Contest", which will allow attendees to take their Karaoke Revolution skills against others for a shot at special prizes, such as a paid trip to Hollywood to view an American Idol show taping.

DigitalLife 2006 opens its doors at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in NY this Thursday, October 12th through Sunday the 15th. We'll have more coverage on the event as the week continues.

Following up on its debut game releases in Wild ARMs 4 and Shadow Hearts: From the New World from earlier this year, XSEED Games has announced its acquisition of the North American publishing rights for Valhalla Knights on the PSP.

Developed by K2 and originally published in Japan back in August by Marvelous Interactive, Valhalla Knights is an action-RPG set in a land once considered a paradise where all races lived together in harmony, but has since become known as The Cursed Land after the Dark Lord and his demon minions tore it apart. In this setting, players will follow a young hero who is seeking his/her lost memories. The game will feature five races and eight jobs for players to customize, a vast selection of weapons, armor and other equipment to outfit party members with, a real-time combat system featuring control for up to six party members and on-the-fly character switching between them, up to 150 different creature types to slay, stunning 3D visuals that showcase the PSP's handheld power, and network multiplayer modes including two-player co-op, consisting of 30 exclusive missions for friends to team up and complete together, and two-player versus, which will have players wagering items or gold on head-to-head battles.

Valhalla Knights is currently due out in North America in Q1 2007. We'll continue to keep you posted as its release approaches.

Just in time for the game's North American release this coming week, Atlus USA has just launched the official English website for Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner ~ Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army. At the website, www.atlus.com/devilsummoner, you can explore in-depth information about the game, including character bios, story background, gameplay explanations and tips, and screenshots.

With the launch of the website, Atlus has also announced the Devil Summoner Sweepstakes. By visiting the game's website you can enter for your chance to win a framed limited edition lithograph personally signed by Kazuma Kaneko, the series' renowned illustrator and character artist.

Devil Summoner is set to ship into North American retailers this Tuesday, October, 10th exclusively for the PS2. Be sure to click over to our recent Devil Summoner hands-on preview, and watch out for our full review later in the week.

Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, Ubisoft's upcoming Source Engine-powered PC action-RPG from developer Arkane Studios, is easily one of the most highly anticipated titles due out this year, and if you've been following the game at all you know there is good reason to support the hype. With the game's October 24th North American release date looming (October 27th in the UK), Valve has just announced that pre-orders are now available online via Steam for $49.95. Those who pre-order through Steam can pre-load the game and have everything ready to start playing the instant the game's release date arrives.

More information on Dark Messiah of Might and Magic can be found at http://www.mightandmagic.com/. Also be sure to check out our recent hands-on preview for our early impressions on how the game is shaping up.

After looking at Dexter's blog of the 'Michael Jackson Wii Caricature', I couldn't stop laughing, but then I said to myself, surely, I could do better...

Here it is, Business Wacko Jacko!

If you guys think you can do better than this, then read Dexter's blog below, click on the link and send your funny caricatures to inyourfacegamez@yahoo.co.uk.

Beat that Dexter! :)

From the "Now we've seen everything, but it's still kinda cool" department: Microsoft and Burger King have come up with a uniquely playable promotion featuring its advertising icons in the form of three Xbox/Xbox 360 games to be made available at US Burger King restaurants from November 19 to December 24th. The three games are priced at $3.99 with the purchase of any BK Value Meal and contain both Xbox and Xbox 360 versions on a single disc.





Developed by Blitz Games, the three titles (Pocket Bike Racer, Sneak King and Big Bumpin') are all pick up and play 'arcade-style' games geared toward all ages with an ESRB rating of E (Everyone). Call me crazy, but I'm absolutely thrilled about taking Brooke Burke for a spin, although the King and Subservient Chicken are going to be right over my shoulder, no doubt. We'll take a closer look at all three titles shortly.

Today Fanatec has unveiled a unique new way to experience the thrill of driving simulations with the announcement of its Speedster Controller, a new racing controller for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2.

Although its design is fully capable of performing like a standard PS2 controller for cross-genre gaming, the Speedster Controller, with its innovative Twist-n-Turn axis and analog triggers, has been crafted to bring extra control and realism to any and all types of racing games, and its axis can be locked and unlocked at any time during gameplay. In addition, the Speedster uses 2.4 GHz RF technology to provide wireless playability from up to 30 ft. away, with a Play-n-Charge kit containing three rechargeable 2000 mAh batteries and a USB charging cable included in the box. Later in the year, Fanatec also has plans to release special adapters to make the Speedster compatible with the PC and PS3, along with Xbox 360 versions in early 2007.

The Speedster Controller is on the fast track to shipping into North American retailers on November 1, 2006 with an MSRP of $59.99. We'll be back with a full review once we are able to get our hands on the product for testing. Until then be sure to take a peek at the first images of the Speedster Controller below:

Today we have for your perusal five new screenshots for NFL Street 3 on the PSP. Please find the new game images below:

With the Wii drawing near, Sega, in anticipation of the grand launch of Nintendo's new console, has released the official box shot for its upcoming Wii launch title, Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz. You can view the boxart image below:

KOEI has announced that Gitaroo Man Lives! is set to rock out on North American PSP's on November 14, 2006.

"I'm bringing Gitaroo back," said Gitaroo Man of his upcoming return to North America. The evil Gravillian family, Gitaroo Man's archenemies, refused to comment."

"Packed with a quirky mix of Japanese pop art, lovable characters, and addicting musical death matches, the original Gitaroo Man became a certified intergalactic cult classic and was recognized for its innovation for music and gaming," said Amos Ip, Senior Vice-President of Sales & Marketing for KOEI Corporation. "With the upcoming PSP version's all- new Duet Mode gamers can jam to previously unreleased Gitaroo songs Metal Header and Toda Pasion."

Gitaroo Man Lives! is an updated version of the original Gitaroo Man PS2 rhythm game cult-classic optimized for portable play. New songs will make a debut, as will an all-new Duet Mode. Support for up to two players is also on the way in the Ad Hoc wireless Vs. Mode.

Gitaroo Man Lives! has been rated "E" for Everyone by the ESRB and will retail at $39.99 US.