Electronic Arts ran an entire season simulation and the two teams meeting in the Cup Finals were the Penguins and the Chicago Blackhawks with the Penguins taking home the Cup by a 4 games to 2 margin.

I wouldn’t place a bet just yet though. NHL ‘09 predicted the Bruins to beat the Blackhawks in 6 games this year, and that certainly didn’t happen.

Priced at an affordable $9.99, “Commanders Challenge”  consists of 50 unique challenge and is described by EA as such

“Each challenge features its very own over-the-top and distinctive twist, confronting players with everything from giant Soviet war bears and an entire army of psionic Japanese school girls to massive satellite orbital bombardments.”

Giant Soviet war bears? Hell yeah! Kind of like this?

The same winning air, land, sea formula is applied to “Commanders Challenge” and as you progress through the increasingly difficult challenges you’ll unlock more units and technology. Furthermore, if you think you’re the best commander in the world the team at EA Los Angeles have input a “par time,” that the development team promises to be freakin’ difficult to beat.

“Commanders Challenge” hits the PSN and XBLA this summer (when EA nails a date down we’ll let you know) priced at 800 MS Points or $9.99 depending on your digital monies preference.

“The Dead Space Extraction comic reunites renowned illustrator Ben Templesmith and writer Antony Johnston with the game’s cold and terrifying fiction,” the companies said in a statement. “This one-time special issue comic follows the successful partnership for last year’s Dead Space comic mini-series.

The comic will be on store shelves in September for $3. A limited edition version of the comic featuring exclusive cover art will be available for the special price of $2 at the EA Comic-con booth.

“There is so much more to the Dead Space universe than we could ever fit into one game and we’re excited to be working with Image Comics again to extend the story in Dead Space Extraction,” said Steve Papoutsis, executive producer of Dead Space Extraction. “Ben and Antony did such a tremendous job with the original comic, we can’t wait for fans to get their hands on this special issue.”

Dead Space Extraction is the prequel to the award-winning Dead Space action/horror game. It ships September 29.

Five members of the Blast team are in San Diego for Comic-Con International!

Fast forward to present day, and with lackluster sales and reviews surrounding Undercover most notably, the series was in dire need of a refresher.

Enter Need For Speed: Shift, the latest from developer Slightly Mad Studios. Hailing from London, this development studio, with members pieced together from the team responsible for GTR 1 and 2, is clearly up to the task, but with such high hopes placed upon their shoulders can they succeed?

Shift is going for broke for ultimate realism and immersion with a first-person cockpit camera view and an all new crash mechanic and you’d do well to take a look at these downright sexy screens and videos we’ve included to really get a sense of the whole “this is a brand new intellectual property” idea Electronic Arts is throwing our way. Check out the two trailers EA sent our way below, and let us know what you think.

Beginning next Tuesday, June 16 and running straight through to the June 22 players of both the Order and Destruction realm factions can take part in the concluding event “Rise of the Tomb Kings.”

But why wage war without copious amounts of booty and renown? I wouldn’t either. And the winning realm in WAR will gain access to the Tomb Kings dungeon zone and will first be able to reap the glorious benefits of such triumph. Furthermore, exclusive titles including Sky Captain for players of Order, and Master of the Air for Destruction as well as the rare as rare candy Ravening Cloak item drop awaits a lucky participant only during the event.

I have played Warhammer Online in a very limited manner, but these live events seem to be alluring, even as a non-player. Do any of YOU play WAR? And if so, have you been enjoying these monthly refreshers?

And then sometimes you get (fake) protesters.

We got to experience both with Dante’s Inferno, Electronic Arts’ latest attempt to show off its recent creativity.

“Inferno” takes you to hell, in an interpretation of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri’s epic, “The Divine Comedy.”

It’s a third-person action game that cycles you through a tour of the afterlife as you descend, sin by sin, through the the nine circles of hell.

You assume the role of Dante, who descends into Hell after returning home to find his beloved Beatrice murdered, with Lucifer seducing her soul into the underworld. Dante sets out to save her but has to face down his own demons first.

You get to use two very different weapons: a scythe that Dante steals from Death, himself, and the Holy Cross, given to him by Beatrice. The cross lets Dante use spiritual powers and spells as you progress through the game.

Watching the gameplay, Dante’s Inferno looks a lot like God of War with crazy combos and giant enemies you have to get past. One thing I liked was that Dante gets to tame and take control over some of his larger enemies, like a giant demon that can lay waste to most smaller enemies.

EA’s Visceral Games studio is behind this title as it prepares to put out Dead Space: Extraction, which I loved.

EA was criticized for staging fake protesters at the event. They were even saying “we’re not against video games, just Dante’s Inferno.”

By the way: This version corrects our incorrect reporting that the protesters were real.

Blast Magazine staff writer Bradley Ouellette contributed to this report, also from Los Angeles.

What’s more is that the iPhone/iPod Touch version of the game rocketed to the number 1 paid App spot in Apple’s App Store and, at $9.99 is still there ( I just checked to confirm).

You number savvy folks can also enjoy this figure: 7 million.  That’s the number of times players have downloaded user created content in the game and with such rampant success what will EA do next with the wad of cash they’re currently bathing in?

Blast had the chance to play Dead Space Extraction at E3, checking out the two player co-op mode with Chase Colasonna from Fortyseven Communications.

I also had the chance to chat with Steve Papoutsis, senior producer at EA’s Visceral Games, the studio behind Dead Space, Dante’s Inferno, and other hot titles.

The game is on a rail. There are tons of cut scenes and lots of story tidbits that reveal themselves as you progress. Papoutsis told me that they weren’t going for an arcade game feel, but seconds through the first level I was thinking “Time Crisis,” and I stand by the comparison.

The visuals are impressive, especially for a Wii game, and the co-op mode is fun, with tons of weapons and powerups that the players can share. The arcade feel actually works very well for the game, so it was surprising to hear that EA is shying away from that label. They are really going for a thick plot that sucks you in, and though I didn’t get that far in Extraction, I’ll buy the argument.

One thing I like is that there are puzzles throughout the game that the players have to complete together in order to advance. This adds to the game significantly with a bit of cerebral exercise, though it’s mostly about moving the Wiimote in the right direction.

But the main thing is that the game is fun and lets you jump quickly into the action, like raining molten fire down on some serious baddies.

Q&A with Visceral Games’ Steve Papoutsis:

Blast: So this is the Dead Space prequel. What does the Nintendo Wii add to this game?

Steve Papoutsis: So right off the bat, the Nintendo Wii brings a whole new kind of design thinking to the game. You have the unique Wii Remote and the nunchuck controls — you have to really think about how you’re going to use those. So for Extraction, it’s just a perfect analogue for pointing at the screen and shooting. The controls first and foremost are the big difference.

Blast: Dead Space is still a fairly new product. Where do you want to take this IP from here?

SP: Well right now I’m personally, solely focused on extraction, but I’d love to see more games in the Dead Space universe in the future.

Blast: Were you going for an arcade feel with this game — a kind of classic shooter game?

SP: No. Our goal with Extraction was to try to deliver on the same atmosphere, mood and visuals that Dead Space had. The way that extraction plays, you’ll notice that it’s not just a shoot-’em-up every five seconds. There’s areas where there’s pacing and story and there’s puzzles and different things that bring innovation to this type of game.

Blast: What do you think is the best part about the game so far? What should fans be looking for?

SP: My favorite feature is co-op. It’s really great to be able to play with a friend. When we started making the game, one of our goals was to make sure that it was easy to play with a friend. Jump right in. That was one of our goals. It’s really fun playing with a friend, making up different strategies and piecing the story together.

APB is a cops and robbers type game, and while the term MMO is correct, by massively, they mean 100, fully customizable players in one game at a time.

The game has been in development for years now, but Realtime Worlds was waiting for the right time, place, and energy to officially debut the title, and what better time and place than sunny Los Angeles at Electronic Arts’ media briefing earlier today?

“After a few years of quietly working on APB I’m extremely excited to be able to show it publically for the first time,” said David Jones, Founder and Creative Director of Realtime Worlds. “To also be able to announce our marketing and distribution agreement with EA Partners at the same time is the cream on top. It’s very evident that EA Partners are clearly in-sync with our vision for APB and between us we aim to ensure gamers understand why it’s unique, and share our excitement.”

You’ll play as either the Criminals or the Enforcers in this revolutionary open-world action game that aims to redefine the genre (if there was even one to begin with) and your morality will play a major role in the character you choose to become.

During their show Monday afternoon at the Orpheum Theatre, EA started with the promising epic Dante’s Inferno from Visceral Games. The title feels like God of War and has a gripping fantasy story.

Then we got a “by the way Sims 3 comes out tomorrow” spiel, where EA showed a trailer that’s been on YouTube for about a week. Marc Normandin has let me know we will have a review of that title later this month, so keep an eye out for that.

But then EA lumbered for 20 minutes as they discussed several new Littlest Pet Shop titles and just this terrible, stereotypical series called the Charm Girls Club, where stick figure-skinny girls braid each other’s hair, have pillow fights and pick out the best clothes. “Pet Shop” I can deal with, but Charm Girls reeked of Twilight-like anti-feminism. They even paraded four young girls on stage to demonstrate a minigame of teasing your hair out.

It’s not that I’m against the girly nature of the games – three for DS and one coming for Wii – but I’m not happy with this continuation of Barbie doll stereotypes among young girls. [Ed. Note: Maybe this is just a ruse to get them sick of this style of game, so they end up playing other EA games, like Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure. Also, if this helps pay for Dead Space 2, then please, braid away.]

My initial impressions of Need for Speed Shift are not good. The game looks bad. I’m going to try to play it this week if possible and prove myself wrong, but the gameplay demo the developers showed featured dated visuals and lots of bump and run driving with too many cars bunched together on a narrow road.

Next came Dragon Age Origins, which Bioware is hoping will revitalize the fantasy genre, calling it the “culmination of 15 years” of work in the franchise.

I was impressed with this one. There is plenty of violence and lust but also some potential showing in the betrayal-laden storyline.

Mass Effect 2 has a lot of type and potential, but not much was shown. It will be released next year on the Xbox 360 and PC–I wonder why it wasn’t mentioned at the Microsoft conference earlier in the day.

Continuing to try and be the polar opposite of last year, where bloody action titles were king, it was EA Sports’ turn to shine this year with two products I’m really excited about:

Grand Slam Tennis is the first decent playing tennis title on any platform since Wii Sports Tennis. This Wii-exclusive is bundled with a Motion Plus and takes advantage of the improved motion capture.

The second is Madden 10 Online Franchise, an online football paradise where you can build your own team with dozens of friends, do drafts, conduct trades and play the season against each other. There’s even an iPhone application that lets you manage your team. This is the biggest Madden feature we’ve seen in years. It starts up Aug. 14.

EA Sports excelled, but my favorite game that EA has brewing right now is Saboteur, from Pandemic Studios. Unfortunately, the video that leaked a week early was it, and nothing new was shown. I’m really, really looking forward to seeing more from this title.

Brutal Legend, a metal and hair band fantasy adventure comes from the mind of Tim Schafer, and stars Jack Black. Black plays a roadie who gets sent back in time by his evil belt buckle. Killing, head banging, and lots and lots of rock and roll ensue. This game looks hilarious, and is sure to please the crowd that loved Psychonauts.

Crytek president and CEO Cevat Yerli made a brief statement, announcing that Crysis 2 was being developed with a new gameplay engine. No visuals, though if it’s anything like the original, they are stunning.

The last two games were massively multiplayer online games, a genre that is ridiculously popular despite its dripping saturation.

All Points Bulletin, from new EA partner Realtime Worlds, is a Grand Theft Auto-style MMO where you can either be the cops or the criminals in a wide-open city.

Finally, we saw some Star Wars as Lucas Arts and EA are joining together to make Star Wars: The Old Republic. The twist to this game is that every player is voice acted, with thousands of voices and hundreds of thousands of lines of dialog. There was a good trailer, but no real gameplay hints–check out the trailer here, as we’ve already uploaded it for you.

And that’s it for Electronic Arts. It wasn’t a gutsy press conference, but they have meat and we’re hungry.

We’ve got two trailers for you today, one detailing the Lifetime Wish component of the game, and the other showing off the free downloadable locale Riverview, available at launch in less than a week.

Hold tight, Sims fans, the wait is nearly, nearly over, for now enjoy these trailers.

Below you’ll find a complete list of EA’s lofty E3 gaming endeavors to be shown on the floor next week.

• Army of Two: The 40th Day
• Battlefield 1943
• Battlefield: Bad Company 2
• Brutal Legend
• Dante’s Inferno
• Dead Space Extraction
• Dragon Age: Origins
• EA Sports Active
• EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis
• FIFA 10
• Fight Night Round 4
• G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Madden NFL 10
• Mass Effect 2
• MySims Agents
• NCAA Football 10
• NHL 10
• Need for Speed NITRO
• Need for Speed SHIFT
• Spore Hero
• Spore Hero Arena
• The Saboteur
• The Sims 3
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

Phenomic Studios’ epic RTS is now available for what EA calls a “Free 4 Play” download that eschews the need to travel to the store and pick up the retail box for $29.99, though you still can if you’re bleeding from the ears with money.

If you have a keen memory you’ll recall that BattleForge recently dropped in price from $49 to $29, but the discounts keep on rolling today, as the game goes %100 free.

Now for what you probably care most for — restrictions, limitations, and all forms of suckery with the “Free 4 Play” version. Interestingly and intriguingly, there are none!

The new free version allows gamers access to the BattleForge game in its entirety including all the community features, scenarios, and the recently launched Renegade Campaign, as well as 32 of the available 200 trading cards.

The retail version is still available at your local video game purveyor for $29.99, but is now simply a 3000 point, 64 card, box.

The decision to go free is an understandable one as the word “free” attracts hordes of gamers to the brand and, in a game fueled by micro-transactions, will most likely end up earning EA more money.

BattleForge Free 4 Play

The mega-publisher decided to eschew the painful Digital Rights Management system for The Sims 3 after a boisterous outcry from fans regarding Spore and its frustrating DRM policies.  Funny though, because Spore was  leaked and subsequently despised in reviews on Amazon.  Ouch.

As always, we at Blast, or any other respectable publication do NOT condone piracy, but to absolutely confirm this story we’d have to take part in the piracy, so for now classify this story as a believable rumor.

via ars technica

Available in 60 countries on PC and Mac in the beginning of June, The Sims 3 aims to continue the storied success of its previous endeavors and stake a powerful claim for what creation and interaction in games truly means.

I’m not sure if I need or want more Sims in my life right now, that said however, when June rolls around I’ll most likely pick it up.

What about you?

To break that figure down further, about 307,000 creations are uploaded to the Sporepedia each and every day.

And of that lofty 100 million figure, 31,017,761 are franken-creatures, which equals 19 times the number of known species on Earth.  However, if EA hadn’t banned “sexual deviant” creatures (we’re looking at you genitalia resembling creatures) the figure would undoubtedly be significantly higher.

Check out the Sporepedia to see the millions of creations.

And if you’ve never ventured to the Spore side of life, a free trial of the Spore Creature Creator can be downloaded here.

Oh shit. Was that a spoiler? Oh well. Anyway…

There are two immediate schools of reaction that are possible here. First, the die hard Godfather fan in you can say “oh, COOL, something different.” Second, the die hard Godfather fan in you can say “oh, shit, it’s different. This sucks!”

I felt like the first half of the altered story, which begins in a Cuba scene that’s halfway through the Academy Award-winning film, was interesting. But I was left scratching my head. Godfather II is almost universally regarded as one of the best movies ever made. Why didn’t Electronic Arts take advantage of that?

You are Dominic, and you’re about to become the Don of the Corleone Family in New York. What follows is an endlessly repetitious repeat of the first Godfather game with about a third of the story elements that made the first game a hit.

This is a GTA-style sandbox game, meaning you get to steal cars and shoot things anywhere you want. But even though the game lets you explore three cities, there isn’t nearly enough room to maneuver in Godfather II.

Your mission is to take over and retain control a number of businesses and crime rackets, and that’s what you’ll spend nearly all of the day-or-so of gameplay doing. You attack a business. A rival family attacks you. You defend. You attack more businesses.

The early story elements show potential. We see Fredo’s character really develop in this game. We see Roth, the Floridian mastermind, in all his glory. You even get to take a shot at Fidel Castro. But the game just isn’t finished. The story elements just stop suddenly. You spend the first part of the game doing all these missions, viewing a ton of family dialogue, and then suddenly Michael Corleone orders you to basically hurry up and finish the game by giving you a mission to eliminate all your rivals. The dialog stops. The storyline stops. Suddenly you’ve degraded to a teenager who first discovered the Grand Theft Auto III PC cheat codes and starts blowing shit up with machine guns.

But that’s not the only problem. The gameplay is seriously flawed. You have to hold or tap X to run, but you also have to use the right thumbstick to control your direction. You only have one right thumb, though. Forget about driving. You’re going to crash and get stuck. Speaking of getting stuck, at least twice during my run-through, I became trapped between a wall and some sort of game element and had to blow myself up and die to get unstuck.

Shooting is also kind of worthless. You hold one button to automatically target an enemy — not the nearest enemy, just one enemy — and another button to shoot them. Repeat as necessary.

This game clearly didn’t have the budget it needed to live up to the movie. The game should have gone back and forth, just like the movie, between Michael’s and Vito’s storylines. I’d have also been really happy to see the game set only in Vito’s world as you grow and develop his crime empire.

The best part about the game is probably developing your own family and equipping, clothing, upgrading, and going to war with them. Each character of the dozens available has its own personality and skill set, and it provides some entertainment. But even this presents its own set of problems. You basically have to bring a bunch of guys with different skills on every mission. Some doors have to be blown up, some can be knocked down, and some can be lock-picked. That’s pretty stupid — I’m sorry. Now we’re just grasping at straws, trying to find some use for these guys specific skills.

The game just isn’t cerebral enough. It’s got guns, tits, swearing and explosions, but nothing about this game leaves me feeling as if I’ve accomplished something afterward.

This is a fuck up, EA. You turned Godfather II into Godfather III.

And you broke my heart. Now Al Neri is going to kill you on a rowboat.

As much as I love today’s ultra-realistic and overly violent titles, I can’t help but enjoy the warm and cuddly, open and inviting characters and environments found in the MySims games.  The Wii has more mini-game collections than it knows what to do with, but I enjoyed my time with the original, granted it was no party game, but the look and feel will undoubtedly return in Party.  Similarly, the ability for local multiplayer mini-game craziness will surely be alluring and exciting on the DS.

“We are very excited to deliver MySims Party and think that it will appeal to new and existing MySims fans with the engaging fun that it provides right from the start,” said Tim LeTourneau, General Manager of the MySims Franchise. “The game capitalizes on the universal appeal and trademark humor of the MySims characters, but also takes the franchise in a different direction providing a new way for players to interact through great multiplayer arcade gameplay.”

MySims Party for the Wii features 50 action packed mini-games for up to four players to compete in, testing reflexes, strategy, smarts and speed.  Every MySim possesses different character attributes including variances in luck, strength, speed, and endurance; therefore strategically assembling your four man team will have lasting implications.  Party gets you off the couch with various mini-games including busting a move in “Go Go Dancing,” nailing the trick in “Extreme Snowboarding Challenege” and outrunning a giant robot in “Robo Assault.”  Bored at that family party? Don’t want to listen to Grandma’s spiel on the whipper-snapping youth?  MySims Party looks to be a great remedy to any dull moment.

The DS version of MySims party looks to effectively incorporate the stylus and touch screen in 40 mini-games that aim simulate the console experience for the on-the-go Sims fan.  Some of the mini-games include digging up fossils in “Excavate-a-Saurus,” rocking out on guitar in “Air Guitar Star,” and a unique first person shooter experience in “Haunted Hunted.”  Most importantly Party allows for single game card multiplayer where friends can play against each other in Dream Festival and Mini Game mode.

MySims Party is available worldwide for $39.99 and $29.99 for Wii and DS respectively.

About EA:

Dance, Board and Flip With Your Favorite MySims in MySims Party, Shipping This Week

MySims Party Provides Hours of Fun for the Whole Family on the Wii and Nintendo DS

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–EA Play Label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS), announced that MySims^TM Party for Wii^TM and Nintendo DS^TM ships to retail outlets worldwide tomorrow. The next title from the MySims Franchise features a robust variety of fun and unique mini-games. Designed specifically for the Nintendo platforms, MySims Party offers something for every member of the family.

“We are very excited to deliver MySims Party and think that it will appeal to new and existing MySims fans with the engaging fun that it provides right from the start,” said Tim LeTourneau, General Manager of the MySims Franchise. “The game capitalizes on the universal appeal and trademark humor of the MySims characters, but also takes the franchise in a different direction providing a new way for players to interact through great multiplayer arcade gameplay.”

MySims Party for the Wii

In MySims Party players must pit their reflexes, strategy, smarts and speed against up to three friends in 50 different fast-paced, action-packed mini-games. Each MySim character possesses a unique combination of speed, luck, strength, and endurance, and by strategically hand picking their team of four MySims, players can gain an advantage over their opponents and crush the competition! Whether shaking their groove thing with DJ Candy in the Go Go Dancing mini-game, outrunning the giant robot in Robo-Assault or sticking the trick in the extreme snowboarding challenge, gamers will be off the couch and on their feet, because every gathering is an instant party with MySims Party!

MySims Party for the Nintendo DS

Now players can take the party with them anywhere! Using the stylus and touch screen, players can dig up fossils in Excavate-a-Saurus, join Goth Boy on a first-person shooter mission during Haunted Hunted, rock out with Air-Guitar-Star, and much more! With 40 different mini-games designed specifically for the Nintendo DS, there is bound to be a game for every member of the family. Additionally, using one game card, friends can wirelessly play against each other in Dream Festival Mode and Mini-game Mode.

About The Sims Franchise The Sims franchise celebrates an impressive over 100 million units sold since its launch in February 2000. Now translated into 22 different languages in 60 different countries, The Sims has quickly become a universal gaming and cultural phenomenon. For the latest information about The Sims and to check out the hottest creations for The Sims 2 made by our community members, please visit www.thesims2.com. To stay up-to-date on The Sims 3 news and information, check out www.thesims3.com. For information about the MySims franchise, visit www.mysims.com.

About Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world’s leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS^TM, EA^TM, EA SPORTS Freestyle^TM and POGO^TM. In fiscal 2008, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle, POGO, The Sims and MySims are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Wii and Nintendo DS are trademarks of Nintendo. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

A Sims Lifetime Wish can take many forms given the personality traits assigned to them, and as these set of screens illustrate, that wish can range from the musically talented to the overly extravagant.

As always, your Sim is not just another nameless face in the crowd; its fate is determined by guiding and readying it for the ultimate Lifetime Wish, including Astronaut, Music composer, International Super Spy, Super Robot Cross Breeder, and Superstar Athlete.   Furthermore, completing a Lifetime Wish and amassing enough Lifetime Happiness will endow the Sim with a new set of opportunities.

Electronic Arts clarifies the idea with the following statement.

Lifetime Wishes are long-term goals for players to focus their Sims towards if they prefer a little more direction. Your Sims are able to choose a Lifetime Wish based on their traits. Completing a Lifetime Wish may require your Sims to master certain skills, reach the top of a career, become a local celebrity, or perhaps even a heartbreaker. By completing a Lifetime Wish, your Sims will earn enough Lifetime Happiness points to choose from a variety of whacky Sims objects and powerful traits like Steel Bladder, Legendary Host or the Teleportation Pad.

I have somehow avoided the Sims plague (meant in a good way) but I may not escape the flood with this iteration.  New combinations of personality traits, new environments to interact with and explore, total customization of everything, and various new gameplay elements all add up to a experience that even has me excited.

I can already picture my Sim, a clumsy, romantically stupid, black haired male perpetually dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt.  Oh and if he can love bacon pizza, I want that too!

5 new screens detailing the Lifetime Wishes in the gallery.

Much more information regarding all things Sims at the official site.

Electronic Arts announced today that the voting that began in December has concluded with both Tyson and Ali to share the cover of the ultra-realistic boxing title.  See kids, sharing is caring, even with fierce boxers.

Mike Tyson had this to say regarding his game cover status and the possibility of an Ali vs. Tyson bout:

“I’m honored to be on the cover of Fight Night Round 4 with Ali. He was a special champ, and I have the highest respect for him as a person and a fighter, people always ask me if I think I would have beaten Ali if I had the chance to fight him when we were both in our prime. Now you can figure it out for yourselves. Fight Night puts you right in that ring and gives you the gloves to settle the score.”

Fight Night Round 4 looks to build on the rock solid foundation of its predecessors this time by featuring an all new physics based game engine that promises to bring the gamer the utmost authentic interpretation of the “sweet science.”  Emphasis will be placed on effectively representing the sports incredible speed, power, timing and accuracy.

Fight Night Round 4 is set to release this summer for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Fight Night Official site.

Set to be released over the summer in conjunction with the feature film G.I. JOE the Rise of Cobra, Electronic Arts and the Digital Media and Gaming department at Hasbro have high hopes for the title.

Mark Blecher, general manager of the aforementioned department has this to say about the future release and its partnership with Electronic Arts.

“EA has tapped the legacy of the G.I. JOE vs. COBRA saga to create an amazing interactive experience inspired by the movie, comic books, animated series and iconography that we hope will resonate with millions of fans.”

Millions of fans? I was never a G.I. JOE fan, even as a kid, but who knows, maybe you’re out there G.I. JOE fans, how else does Hasbro sell all those toys!?

Hasbro promises compelling storytelling, a dynamic set of characters, and over the top action that will please everyday gamers as well as fans of the series.

The official G.I. JOE video game website shows an image of a man in black, dagger in hand, adorned with laser-tag-like goggles and attire.  Not very compelling if you ask me.  Furthermore, the brief synopsis “Fight Evil Before It Strikes” is border-line cliché.

The very brief information the website does provide doesn’t really paint a colorful image in my head and excite me about kicking some COBRA butt.

According to the game’s website in G.I. JOE the video game you can expect to:

• Assemble an elite G.I. JOE team and call in reinforcements when the mission gets down and dirty.
• Choose from 12 of your favorite G.I. JOEs, each with a unique set of skills and weapons.
• Gear up with the latest in high-tech gadgets.
• Jump into, steal or hijack powerful G.I. JOE or COBRA vehicles, then fire away!

Make of it what you will, but none of those feats seem new or interesting to me.

G.I. JOE is currently in development for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 2, Playstation Portable, Nintendo DS, and mobile devices set for a summer release following the August 7^th debut of the feature film.

About EA, Hasbro, Spyglass Entertainment and Paramount Pictures

EA Confirms Covert Mission to Create Action-Packed G.I. JOE® Video Game Inspired by Upcoming Film From Paramount Pictures, Spyglass Entertainment and Hasbro

G.I. JOE Set to Invade All Major Video Game Platforms in Summer 2009

Toy Fair 2009

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced that development is underway to bring Hasbro’s legendary G.I. JOE® brand to all major console and handheld gaming platforms in summer 2009 to coincide with the theatrical release of the G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA live-action movie from Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment, in association with Hasbro, which opens in theaters August 7, 2009. EA will unveil a “first look” of the G.I. JOE® video game at Hasbro’s Showroom at Toy Fair on February 15-17, 2009 in New York City.

“As Hasbro and Paramount Pictures reignite the G.I. JOE® property this year with an all-new toy line and film, EA is excited to play a major role in bringing this icon of pop culture history to a new generation of enthusiasts through interactive gaming,” said Chip Lange, General Manager and Vice President of EA Hasbro. “G.I. JOE® offers exceptionally rich storylines and a cast of characters that lends itself incredibly well to creating an over-the-top action adventure video game that will thrill gamers as well as G.I. JOE® fans.”

For fans of all ages, 2009 is gearing up to become another watershed milestone in the timeless franchise by introducing even more new ways to engage, immerse and play within the G.I. JOE® universe. The G.I. JOE® video game will feature an exclusive storyline that picks up where the live-action movie leaves off, allowing players to re-create and re-live the greatest moments from the film, cartoon series and action figure toy line. The game will feature 12 G.I. JOE® characters, each with unique abilities and weapons. Adding to the adrenaline rush will be an intense single-screen co-op mode allowing two players to easily unite as a team in a classic struggle between good and evil as they work together to defeat the powers of the COBRA organization. The G.I. JOE® video game is under development for Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Wii^TM, PlayStation®2, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable), Nintendo DS^TM, and mobile devices.

“G.I. JOE® has been an icon of action for 45 years,” said Mark Blecher, General Manager of Digital Gaming and Media at Hasbro. “EA has tapped the legacy of the G.I. JOE vs. COBRA saga to create an amazing interactive experience inspired by the movie, comic books, animated series and iconography that we hope will resonate with millions of fans.”

For more than four decades, G.I. JOE® has been one of the premiere brands in the history of boys’ toys. Originating the term “action figure” in 1964, Hasbro’s G.I. JOE® brand ushered in a new play pattern that forever changed the scope of the toy industry. The G.I. JOE® brand made another revolutionary introduction in 1984 with the release of the G.I. JOE vs. COBRA toy line, which introduced a generation of boys to the heroic G.I. JOE® forces, led by Duke, and their epic struggle to defeat the evil COBRA organization. The G.I. JOE vs. COBRA saga featured a diverse cast of characters – both good and evil – that became a part of pop culture through Hasbro’s toy line, an animated television series and best-selling comic book franchise.

For more information about the G.I. JOE® video game and to sign up for updates, visit gijoe.ea.com

About the G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA Film

Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment Present, In Association With Hasbro, A di Bonaventura Pictures Production of A Stephen Sommers Film: “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” starring Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Byung Hun Lee, Sienna Miller, Rachel Nichols, Ray Park, Saïd Taghmaoui, Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans and Dennis Quaid. The film is directed by Stephen Sommers. The story is by Michael B. Gordon and Stuart Beattie & Stephen Sommers. The screenplay is by Stuart Beattie and David Elliot & Paul Lovett. Based on Hasbro’s G.I. Joe® Characters. The film is produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Brian Goldner and Bob Ducsay. The executive producers are Stephen Sommers, David Womark, Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum and Erik Howsam. The director of photography is Mitchell Amundsen. The production designer is Edward Verreaux. The film editors are Bob Ducsay and Jim May. The costume designer is Ellen Mirojnick. The music is by Alan Silvestri. This film has not yet been rated.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world’s leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS^TM, EA^TM, EA SPORTS Freestyle^TM and POGO^TM. In fiscal 2008, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

About Paramount Pictures Corporation

Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The company’s labels include DW Studios, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studio Group, and Worldwide Television Distribution.

About Hasbro

Hasbro (NYSE:HAS) is a worldwide leader in children’s and family leisure time entertainment products and services, including the design, manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging from traditional to high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., its PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER, CRANIUM and WIZARDS OF THE COAST brands and products provide the highest quality and most recognizable play experiences in the world. ©2009 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle, and Pogo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. G.I. JOE and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission. Nintendo DS and Wii are trademarks of Nintendo. Microsoft, Xbox and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. “PlayStation”, “PLAYSTATION” and PSP are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

At the BOOM BLOX title screen, hit up, right, down, left on the D-pad button

Type in the codes below using the keyboard:

Note: Cheats are case-sensitive

From EA:

ZUBO

This music-based rhythm-action adventure is an original intellectual property created for 7-11 year old boys and girls. In Zubo, players enter the world of Zubalon to help the colorful and zany characters, the Zubos, defeat an evil force which is bent on world domination. Players can befriend the Zubos they meet along the way, feed and nurture them, help them gain skills and strength, and assist them in their battles with the enemy, the dastardly Zombos. Available exclusively for the Nintendo DS handheld system in March.

Rated: E for Everyone
Release: March
Category: Comedy Action Adventure
Ages: Boys and Girls 7-11
Price: TBD

The fact that we’re still talking about PlayStation 2 and still talking about new games being made only for the PlayStation 2 in the 2008 holiday season speaks volumes about what this console did for our industry. Today nearly 100 percent of children and teens play video games on some level.

Here at Blast, we’re big into nostalgia, but we don’t necessarily look to Pac Man and Space Invaders for our retro fix. PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Nintendo 64 and PC games from the 90s have given us a litany of content to draw from, especially with the entire reviews and news database from ReviewCenter.com.

Here is The Review Center’s PlayStation 2 Launch Guide from February 2000
By Tom Carroll, Review Center Staff

If you haven’t had the chance to play all 28 PlayStation 2 launch titles, now you don’t have to. Nobody has the disposable income to invest in crud, so we’ve taken the liberty of snagging a bit of the cream from the skim. We’ve got the skinny on which titles are phat and which fall flat.

Refreshingly (and unlike the Dreamcast’s launch, which was mostly made up of driving games of dubious distinction) the PS2 launch has a few candidates from each of most popular genres: action, sports, racing, and, surprisingly, RPG.

We also realize that no one wants to read too much at launch. Full reviews of each launch title will follow in short order. For now, strap on your helmet, grab the ol’ dual shock controller, and get ready to have your horizons expanded:

Armored Core 2
Agetec
From Software
Action
1-2 Players

The PlayStation’s main mech, or AC, is back in action with the best-looking ACs ever in a game of this sort. Armored Core 2 is the fourth in the series, but the true sequel to the first game, and the first of the series on PS2. With literally hundreds of parts to improve and alter your mech, and dozens of single player levels to battle in, players can enjoy lone play time, or they can venture into two-player split-screen action. While it plays much like previous games in the series, Armored Core 2 looks fabulous.

DOA2: Hardcore
Tecmo
Fighting
1-4 Players

If you’re only going to buy one fighter for your PS2, this is the one. It has more of everything than anything else out there. You want characters? It’s got ‘em. You want costumes? Ditto. You want arenas, breakaway walls, dramatic falls, slaps, punches, kicks, combos, tag elements (that leave you breathless), well, DOA2: Hardcore lives up the hype and continues shoveling it on long after the others have quit. This game is the sine qua non (for those of you classically challenged, that means, “the bomb”) and it easily tops Namco’s best efforts to date.

Dynasty Warriors 2
Koei
Action
1 Player

If you like your action fast and furious, DW2 may just be the game for you. You take on the persona of one of eight ancient Chinese heroes, each with different skills. Navigating via a huge map, you get to ride a stallion, battle bad boss guys, and formulate a strategy that leads to success. No other game will have as many characters simultaneously on screen, which may be frightening at first. This explains the furious part; the game is also a tad short in terms of gameplay — which explains the fast.

FantaVision
Sony Computer Entertainment America
Puzzle
1 Player

When Konami wanted to have one of its teams learn the PS2 development environment, it said, “Make an update of Gradius III and IV,” which is what happened (the game will be released within the month). When Sony Computer Entertainment International (SCEI) wanted the same thing for one of its teams, it said, “Make me a colorful puzzle game that involves fireworks.” Fanta Vision is the result. You link together same-colored fireworks as they fall from the sky to achieve various point totals. It is a beautiful game and one that will keep adult gamers interested for roughly the same time as a first-run movie. You do the math — movie = $8.50; Fanta Vision = $53.00 (tax included). See you at the movies.

Eternal Ring
Agetec
From Software
RPG
1 Player

Eternal Ring is a Japanese game in search of a US following. Its story involves science and magic, but the uninspired story makes it difficult to imagine that anyone will stay engaged long enough to plumb the more than 100 spells that are available. Less than inspired visuals and localized voiceovers drop this title to the bottom third of the bunch.

ESPN Winter X Games Snowboarding
Konami
KCE Osaka
Sports
1-2 Players

While SSX is the snowboarding king, it is a fanciful look at the sport. For the serious snowboarder who wants more realism in his/her gaming, there is ESPN WXGS (that’s Winter X Games Snowboarding, but we’re tired and we’re not typing that out any more). This game has the real deal: trademarked boards; signature riders; courses modeled after real terra firma. While the controls for this game don’t disappoint and the tricks are the bomb, there are times when you wish this game would just bust a bit more loose. Kudo to the Create-A-Boarder feature; it’s a winner.

Evergrace
Agetec
From Software
1 Player

Now that RPGs are back in vogue for console systems, isn’t it nice that the PS2 gets a capable one at launch. Darius and Sharline are the two main characters in Evergrace. They get involved in some pretty dark deeds, but it’s the game’s unique “Free Growth System” that stands center stage. Using the FGS, you can allocate experience points to any of a number of abilities. Not to be outdone, the game’s “Full Dress System” allows the player to dress his/her character from head to toe prior to battle, all of which affects the way the character fights. While Evergrace is the only true RPG in the launch bunch, you wouldn’t be disappointed if you gave it a try.

Gun Griffon Blaze
Working Designs
Game Arts
Action
1 Player

This should actually be called Fun ‘n Gun Griffon Blaze, becaue it’s a fast start boullion of battles and blasting. The worlds aren’t going to set your hair on fire (because the geometry and textures are somewhat simple, but what a rush it is to fly at one opponent, blast it into smithereens, then jet over to another hotspot and start blasting. You’ve also got a cool zoom feature for targeting that involves speed blur and such. Hot action; cool tech.

Kessen
Electronic Arts
KOEI
Adventure
1 Player

PS2’s launch lineup has room for everyone and everything, it seems. Even Kessen. One of the few original launch titles in Japan, the powers that be must have gone through some real gyrations before deciding to localize it for Western tastes. The results are generally good: the graphics and cinemas are first-rate; the strategy portions, while competent, are a bit tedious. If you measure your gaming pleasure in hours instead of emotions, Kessen may just pass muster.

Madden NFL 2001
Electronic Arts
EA Sports
Sports
1-8 Players

Electronic Arts’ Madden 2K1 is one of the most sophisticated games to launch with the PS2. It has to be. It’s football, for cryin’ out loud. But this is one console that goes much deeper than a new coat of paint and some new spark plugs in the engine. The amount of precision that you have to have to compete has been increased (now you have to not only hit the open man, you have to hit him when his head is turned back toward the passer when the ball is in the air). Skill, fatigue and injury are more of a part of this game than any before because the engine and graphics renderer have the ability to actually turn concepts and theories into gameplay actions. By making launch with more than just a collection of pretty helmets, EA has served notice to Sony’s own that an ordinary GameDay 2K1 will just not do.

Midnight Club: Street Racing
Rockstar Games
Angel Studios
Racing
1-2 Players

Somebody once said, “I wouldn’t want to belong to any club that would have me as a member.” Perhaps this is true of Midnight Club. At first the visuals and audios impress one as less rather than more. The opening movie is a shambles; the vehicles shine as though they were carved from blocks of plastic. Play the game for a while, however, and the personality of the thing starts to show through. The taunts really do get under your skin; the challenges are easy enough to catch your attention but become tough quickly so as to hold it. If Midnight Club succeeds at all, it will be because substance triumphed over style.

Moto GP
Namco
Racing
1-2 Players

It’s a shame that some games have to betray their roots as quickly as they do. Moto GP is a game that can be mastered in no time, which makes it a disaster for the home market. Such a shame, too, because you’ll never see a prettier game on any platform. The bikes are sweet; nearly every surface is awash in somebody’s logo; tracks are totally trick. If Moto GP succeeds (and racing games are often more popular than they deserve to be) it will be because style triumphed over substance.

NHL 2001
Electronic Arts
EA Sports
Sports
1-8 Players

Both Madden and NHL 2K1 show EA’s desire to deliver more of the “good stuff” right out of the gate. The problem is that sometimes higher polygon counts and richer textures mean a gummed up renderer unable to cope. Such is the case, especially with NHL 2K1. It’s a pretty title, to be sure, but the lack of snappy moves and an AI that’s too cagey with the difficulty setting ramped up will surely doom this game — fast in the past — to a slow start out of the PS2 gate.

Orphen
Activision
Kadokawa Shoten
RPG
1 Player

Orphen tries to be a hybrid of RPG and fighting game. Taken singly or as a whole, it is a failure. Orphen is an unappreciated and underrated sorcerer trying to make his way in the world. He joins up with various folks for various reasons, ultimately taking him (and them) to Chaos Island for some showdowns with various bad guys. The game looks nice, but the battling system is repetitive and boring, making an otherwise engaging story not worth the bother. Save your yen for a better game about some other lost cause.

Q-Ball Billiards Master
Take 2
ASK
Sports
1-2 Players

This game is pool as it’s often played: by the book and with little panache. The physics are steady and the player is given more than enough control to attempt any shot, even if they aren’t all accomplished. If you’re looking to play a bit more fast and loose with the “sport,” try Konami’s Real Pool.

Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2
Midway
Sports
1-2 Players

If you liked the first game in series (on whichever platform you played it on — wasn’t it ported to play on cell phones?) you’ll love the PS2 sequel. All the previou modes are retained; added are a tournament mode and career mode. You can also fight against a teeny slate of celebs — which was better for pre-launch marketing teasers than it actually is in the game. While R2R Boxing: Round 2 won’t be the only boxing game on PS2 forever, it will always be tops in kooky fun.

Ridge Racer V
Namco
Racing
1-2 Players

Namco is guilty, guilty, guilty — of a little bad judgement. The company decided to take a luke warm PS2 J-launch title and seve it up even colder to US audiences. The game lacked antialiasing and had problems with framerate flickering when it was being played in and around Tokyo (and in our office, too, of course). Such techno bugaboos could have been eradicated for the US launch, but Namco decided to put its efforts elsewhere. RRV is a good racing game, especially for those who’ve fallen for past incarnations of the game. However, front end be damned (and the game’s start, selection, and option screens are drop-dead gorgeous) can’t cover over this game’s warts.

Silent Scope
Konami
Shooter
1 Player

A gun! A gun! My kingdom for a gun! This stiff, ultra-formal remake of the arcade hit is just that . a remake of an arcade hit. It suffers mightily from control, as the sniper rifle that made the arcade version so infectiously fun isn’t anywhere to be found (and don’t look for some desperate hardware manufacturer to make one on a whim, either). If you enjoyed the arcade title so much that you want to burn up $53 to have it at home, you won’t be disappointed. If you played all the way through the arcade shooter, you probably don’t have $53 to your name any more . but you really won’t need to bother with it either.

Smuggler’s Run
Rockstar Games
Angel Studios
Racing
1-2 Players

This game is getting good word or mouth because you get to be a smuggler and haul illicit cargoes around various (somewhat) scenic locales. It’s getting good media attention because the environments are humongous and the game’s draw in distance (the farthest point you can see without needing fogging, etc.) is so far. Smuggler’s Run seems to be selling because of both of these reasons, as well as because it’s well crafted and addictively fun. Smuggle one home yourself — if you can find a copy…

SSX
Electronic Arts
EA Canada
Sports
1-2 Players

SSX (we assume that stands for Super Snowboarding Extreme) is the hottest of the 28 launch titles. It’s highly original and addictive. The character and track designs completely blow away everyone else in the pack. The boys (and girls) at EA Canada are to be congratulated on creating a game that will play just as fresh in Boulder, Colorado, Heidelberg, Germany, or Yokahama, Japan. You take you place at the starting line as one of six contestants from far-flung corners of the world. You have to master each course’s layout, flesh out your own skills as ‘boarding and trickstyling, while finishing in the money at the end of each race. Along the way you’ll unlock other characters, new courses, and better equipment. There isn’t a game around (since MTV Snowboarding of a few years back) that allowed you to catch such air and flip out over the tricks like SSX. The game should become one of (if not the) top seller for EA Sports because it has equal appeal for women as for men. Watch out Madden, this one’s gonna leave you stuck in the powder.

Street Fighter EX3
Capcom
Fighting
1-4 Players

If you read any of the reviews of the uninspired PS2 J-launch title, this game ain’t changed much in the interim. Fans of the title’s other better efforts will no doubt pick it up so they can have them all on the shelf, but don’t look for this fighter to set anyone’s knickers on fire.

Summoner
THQ
Volition
1 Player

Summoner is a sprawling mass of RPG gaming. It may have a good story line, but it shows its feet of clay by not being able to render large terrain objects that are really amazingly close to your action. Because of the nasty draw in distances and insane fogging, the summoning part of this game should have been your character summoning huge masses of hillside to appear and dissapear merely by walking toward and away from them. Interesting game design … bad implementation.

Swing Away Golf
Electronic Arts
Sports
1-4 Players

Swing Away Golf is to the game of golf what cotton candy is to a filet minion steak. To say it’s golf lite is to demean the word “lite..” All this having been said, it is a fun little romp with anime characters and a mean little physics engine that really does the job. Other than the game taking a nasty little hop when going from when you use the swing game to the time your character actually swings, it’s all pretty sweet. One word of advice, choose the knowledgeable and sympathetic caddy characters; the others are grist in te wheels of life — at least as far as Swing Away Golf is concerned.

Tekken Tag Tournament
Namco
Fighting
1-2 Players

While this game ain’t no DOA2: Hardcore (see above), it is the best Tekken game ever made. It’s doubtful that Namco set out to set the gaming industry’s collective hair on fire with this one . they just had to give the gamer all the Tekken they wanted without messing up the look, the controls, or the framerate. In this, they have succeeded and this title will sell well because of it. The US version of the game is essentially the same as the Japanese title, allowing Namco to devote its resources to other titles that will appear at or near launch. Caution: If you’re looking for something more out of this game than “Just Plain Tekken” you may be disappointed. If you just want an update and a new coat of paint, it’s the game for you.

TimeSplitters
Free Radical Design, Ltd.
Eidos Interactive
First-Person Shooter
1-4 Players

In the wake of the PS2 launch, TimeSplitters is one game that’s getting noticed. Speed kills and TimeSplitters delivers it at Mach 10. Modelled a bit after GoldenEye and Perfect Dark (no surprise since most of the developers are ex of Rare), this game allows you to be a free radical (pun intended) running and gunning around throughout the halls of history. Split time, not hairs — this is a fun game to play, with or without your friends.

Unreal Tournament
Infogrames
Epic Games
Action
1-4 Players

You want it, you got it, Sony. A launch with a bunch of no-name titles isn’t as much fun as inviting a few of the big boyz to join in. Unreal Tournament (along with Madden 2K1, Tekken Tag, and Ridge Racer V) fills the bill nicely. It’s a lush implementation of the original PC game with bows made to console controls. Various configurations are available, including keyboard and mouse set-ups. Have a lot of spare TVs around, hook up four units, four games, four TVs via I-like and you’ve got a UT party. You don’t even need the Planter’s Peanuts.

Wild Wild Racing
Interplay
Rage Software
1-2 Players

Tired of the same old modified ovals? Ready for a game that has some real off road teeth? Wild Wild Racing is the anti-Ridge Racer … it’s so good at times that it’ll shake you. Interplay’s staff modified the game’s Japanese control setup to emphasize power sliding. The result? You can fly around these off road race courses and hit the turns without

X-Squad
Electronic Arts
Action
1 Player

Inevitably, for every SSX there is an X-Squad. This game really needed a little more time in the bullpen to make it a more complete player. The game has some flashes of competence, but a monster contingent of weapons plus a minimum amount of fun inter- and intra-squad play doesn’t make for a complete game. Visual style aside, the art also needed to be much better to compete with other games (including EA’s own) in the ultra slick PS2 launch lineup. More later on this one . but you really get the picture in a paragraph.

Tom Carroll was one of the top gaming writers for ReviewCenter.com. If you’re still out there, Tom, Blast needs you!

The game is due out in February.

After being promoted by Michael Corleone to Don of New York, players expand to new cities, as they build up their families through extorting businesses, monopolizing illegal crime rings and defeating new families in an effort to become the most powerful mob family in America. To help players manage their empire, The Godfather II introduces “The Don’s View” – an innovative strategy meta-game that allows players to oversee the entire world as they grow the family business. Using the Don’s View, players will be able to build, defend and expand their crime rings, while keeping an eye on the movements and plans of the rival families. Players will also learn to master the business of organized crime by building a family of Made Men, hiring crew, handing out orders, and promoting their best men up the ranks.

Time Trial mode challenges players to find the fastest route across the rooftops and through the streets. Players can upload their best time to the Mirror’s Edge leaderboards for their friends to download and compete against. Players can see their friend’s ‘ghost’ run as they race their way through the course to the top of the leaderboards.

We first heard about Mirror’s Edge at E3 this year, and we love the prospects for this title.

Mirror’s Edge hits stores November 11.

Here’s a gallery of images that we were not allowed to release until right … about … now.

They tried to remain upbeat.

“We’re excited about the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince video game in development and its high level of authenticity and playability,” said Robert Nashak, Vice President EA Casual Studios. “We are creating an immersive game experience that Potter fans around the world will really enjoy playing as they fly and duel their way through the story of the film. The game will feature new Wii gestures and increased gameplay capabilities across all of the platforms.”

“The Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince game will be an excellent interactive extension of the film and all of the new action that comes with it,” said Martin Tremblay, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “EA is creating the Harry Potter video games that fans will love, and this game will deliver new gameplay elements and the magic players are looking forward to.”

“We have enjoyed a wonderful partnership with EA in collaborating on the videogames for all of the Harry Potter films,” said Harry Potter film Producer David Heyman. “The visual look of the game for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is incredibly authentic to the film and will provide a truly compelling experience for everyone who plays.”

In the game of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, players will return to Hogwarts to help Harry survive a fraught sixth year. They will also have a chance to engage in exciting wizard duels, mix and brew magical ingredients in Potions class and take to the air to lead the Gryffindor Quidditch team to victory. Players may even get sidetracked by Ron’s romantic entanglements as they journey towards a dramatic climax and discover the identity of the Half-Blood Prince.

Okay, folks. We’ve been very, very nice to Electronic Arts lately, particularly giving them high marks for their E3 lineup, but this is just off.

Electronic Arts’ Casual Entertainment Label announced the release of Solitaire For Dummies, the second “For Dummies” game themed on the popular books. The game, available on Pogo.com, lets you play 10 different solitaire games like Klondike (Windows Solitaire), Pyramid, Scorpion, etc. It also gives you how-to, practice and play modes so you can learn the basics.

Cool so far.

They want $20 for it.

Come now. You already have Klondike on Windows, and there are literally hundreds of similar solitaire games out there for download and web play, mostly for free. This should be no more than $4.99.

The first title in the series, Poker For Dummies is also available and lets you play Texas Hold’Em, Omaha and Seven-Card Stud, with learning modes included also. This is also great, but you can still do that on FullTiltPoker.com and Pokerstars.com (Well, .net anyway) for free.

A DS title, Travel Games For Dummies, features crossword puzzles, Sudoku, and solitaire, and will be available in November.

I just think price is the kill factor with the solitaire game.

But we still are in love with Lightbox, so here’s a gallery:

And, of course, we just started using Lightbox, so we’re all all excited like teenagers who just found Internet porn for the first time.

After being promoted by Michael Corleone to Don of New York, players expand to new cities, as they build up their families through extorting businesses, monopolizing illegal crime rings and defeating new families in an effort to become the most powerful mob family in America. To help players manage their empire, The Godfather II introduces “The Don’s View” – an innovative strategy meta-game that allows players to oversee the entire world as they grow the family business. Using the Don’s View, players will be able to build, defend and expand their crime rings, while keeping an eye on the movements and plans of the rival families. Players will also learn to master the business of organized crime by building a family of Made Men, hiring crew, handing out orders, and promoting their best men up the ranks.

In “Petrol to the People”EA is going guerrilla, — or is it viral? — grassroots? — to promote their newest game. The entire gas station will be decked out in Mercenaries 2 branding and will feature actors dressed up as Mercenaries pumping gas.

“Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is an open-world action game set in Venezuela — a lightening rod in the global debate around energy policy and oil production,” EA said in a statement Friday. “The games story is ripped from today’s headlines.”

“The story of the game is set in a world where countries rich in oil have found new power. That power corrupts, and in Venezuela, corruption has sparked a political coup. A power hungry tyrant uses Venezuela’s oil supply to overthrow the government and turns the country into a war zone. Players step into the role of a mercenary for whom politics doesn’t matter.”

The entire event will be webcasted live on Break.com at www.break.com/mercenaries2.

For more info on Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, tune to its official website. The game will be available for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation 2

Electronic Arts announced Wednesday that they are creating a tennis video game to rival 2K Sports’ Top Spin and Atari’s Smash Court. The new EA Sports tennis game will first be available for Wii at some time next year, with other platforms to folow.

It will be the first EA Sports game to use Nintendo’s new Wii MotionPLus accessory that adds an added dimension of accuracy to the WiiMote.

“As we look to expand the EA Sports brand and captivate sports fans from around the world with rich new interactive experiences, it was obvious that the renaissance we’re seeing in the sport of tennis provides us with a big opportunity,” said Peter Moore, president of EA Sports, in a statement Wednesday. “Our new tennis franchise, coming first to the Wii, will put fans right into the action and provide the excitement, tension and drama that true champions feel in legendary matches – like the classic from Wimbledon just last month.”

For more information, visit www.easports.com/tennis.

Electronic Arts and tis Black Box studio released some new details on Need for Speed: Undercover, which comes out November 18 in the U.S. for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation 2 with PSP, DS and mobile versions available.

“Need for Speed Undercover has players racing through speedways, dodging cops and chasing rivals as they go deep undercover to take down an International crime syndicate,” the companies said Wednesday in a statement. “The new game heralds the return of high-intensity police chases and introduces the all-new ‘Heroic Driving Engine’ — a unique technology that generates incredible high-performance moves at 180 miles per hour during breathtaking highway battles.”

“Need for Speed Undercover puts you at the center of a big-budget Hollywood movie with all of the drama, action and dazzling chase scenes, right on your gaming console. The unique Heroic Driving Engine will give you ultimate control over the hottest cars and push you to use every ounce of skill to outrun the law and take down criminal adversaries,” said Executive Producer Bill Harrison.

The game will mix graphics/CGI with live-action movies with 80 miles of open-world to explore, to get the gamer to really feel the “Tri-City Bay Area” experience. It looks like GTA without all the guns.

“Need for Speed Undercover features more aggressive and intelligent cops whose sole purpose is to take down the player quickly and by any means necessary,” the statement read.

Cars featured in the game include the Audi R8, BMW M6 and Lexus IS-F.

EA is also unveiling information on the Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince game and Godfather 2.

Take-Two is known as the producer of the Grand Theft Auto franchise and its 2K Sports line.

More in the New York Times

“Inspired by the film and Mario Puzo’s Corleone family drama, The Godfather II game goes beyond the film’s story by setting players in the world of organized crime in 1960’s Florida, Cuba and New York,” the companies said in a statement.

After being promoted by Michael Corleone to Don of New York, players expand to new cities, as they build up their families through extorting businesses, monopolizing illegal crime rings and defeating new families in an effort to become the most powerful mob family in America. To help players manage their empire, The Godfather II introduces “The Don’s View” – an innovative strategy meta-game that allows players to oversee the entire world as they grow the family business. Using the Don’s View, players will be able to build, defend and expand their crime rings, while keeping an eye on the movements and plans of the rival families. Players will also learn to master the business of organized crime by building a family of Made Men, hiring crew, handing out orders, and promoting their best men up the ranks.

Set in a stunning open-world environment, The Godfather II expands on the popular gameplay mechanics of the first game and doubles down on the series’ signature BlackHand control scheme, which now features even more visceral hand-to-hand brutality at your fingertips, introducing a new combo system, pressure tactics and executions. In The Godfather II, players will fight alongside their hand-picked crew, who have their own skills and expertise. Each family member specializes in a specific field such as demolitions, arson, engineering, first-aid and more. As The Don you control the family, sending some of your men on missions while heading off into action with others. The combination of strategic organized crime gameplay and brutal BlackHand action sets The Godfather II apart from other open-world games.

“In the 1960’s, a mafia Don was only as strong as his family,” said Hunter Smith, Executive Producer of The Godfather II. “We found the hierarchical culture of organized crime intriguing. Running an organized crime family in a world defined by family loyalty is something that we felt could introduce a new strategic element to the genre. That is what the Don’s View is all about — laying out a strategy to pick off the competition one by one. The Don’s View is so unique, it could fundamentally change the rules of open-world games by blending action and strategy to create something entirely new.”

Geoff Keighley’s GameTrailers TV on Spike TV will have an exclusive premiere of Godfather II: The Game on August 15. The episode, entirely devoted to the game, will include behind-the-scenes features and interviews with the development team. The game’s trailer will also be unveiled.

The trailer will also be available on August 18th at: http://godfather2.ea.com.

Electronic Arts announced Thursday that the demo for FaceBreaker, their upcoming arcade boxing title, is now available on Xbox LIVE and the North American PlayStation Network. It will be up worldwide on PSN on August 14.

The demo features characters Sparrow, Ice and Steve going at it in the fast-paced boxer, as well as the game’s custom face generator called Photo Game Face. Photo Game Face will allow gamers to upload a cartoon likeness of themselves –- or anyone else — to the FaceBreaker online boxer gallery at EA Sports World. Created boxers will all be available for download when FaceBreaker ships to retailers on September 3. Players can use an Xbox LIVE Vision camera or a PlayStation Eye camera to upload themselves –- or someone else — directly onto their consoles, or alternatively use a regular photo. Transform your created boxer with 60+ customization options to play with, a full color palette and a closet full of costumes.

FaceBreaker will be available for $49.99 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 September 3 and the Wii late this year.

For more information on FaceBreaker visit www.easports.com/facebreaker. The FaceBreaker online boxer gallery can be viewed at www.easportsworld.com/facebreaker.

Hasbro owns the North American rights to Scrabble, and they have sued two Indian brothers and their company, RJ Softwares over their 500,000 daily user Scrabulous online video game on the popular Facebook social networking portal.

Scrabulous has been one of the most popular “Facebook Apps” since the website allowed users to add games and third party modules to their profiles.

In its lawsuit, Hasbro asserts that Scrabulous violates its copyright and trademark rights. Hasbro has also asked Facebook to block the game on the website, CNN reported.

Electronic Arts released an official version of Scrabble for North American Facebook users last week, as part of their licensing deal with Hasbro to bring popular board games into online, PC and console-based platforms. The official Scrabble port has not deterred fans from the older Scrabulous. Both games are available for free.

Mattel, which owns the rights to Scrabble outside the US and Canada, did not join the lawsuit.

“The characters have really come alive in the game, and we are pleased that we will be able to add to the canon of the Mirror’s Edge universe with this project,” said Hank Kanalz, vice president/general manager for WildStorm, the DC division that’s making the comic.

Mirror’s Edge is a gutsy first person game involving a heroine messenger in a world where information is tightly controlled by the government.

Action, horror, sci-fi
Dead Space
EA Redwood Studios
October 21
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC

Action, horror
Left 4 Dead
Valve
November 4
Xbox 360, PC

Action
Rage
id Software
TBA
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, MAC, PC, Linux

Strategy/God game
Spore
Maxis
September 7
PC/MAC

LOS ANGELES – Blood and gore. Sci-fi fantasy. First-person shooter.

Electronic Arts?

Stepping away from its comfort zone, the world’s leading video game publisher unleashed a surprising lineup of titles Monday at this year’s E3 Media and Business Summit.

At a press conference at LA’s Orpheum Theatre, leaders from 12 Electronic Arts game studios including Maxis, BioWare, EA Online and EA Redwood Shores presented a very different lineup than just “next year’s Madden” and “the next Sims game,” that some in the gaming industry have come to droningly expect out of the games giant.

Instead of flash and cinematics, EA went back to basics at E3 this year, doing little things like producing trailer videos from 100 percent in-game footage.

“No Powerpoint, no statistics, no reference to market share or how we’re actually bigger than the other guys,” said CEO John Riccitiello. “[We're doing] something extremely simple. We’re going to have the people that make the games show you the games that we’re making.”

The lineup included not one, not two, but three potentially “M-for-Mature-rated” action games, as well as convincing, encouraging and entirely unsurprising early response numbers for the Spore Creature Creator and an incredibly impressive-looking action/adventure title called “Mirror’s Edge.”

EA Sports was there, but they chose to show off new ways to play their basketball and golf titles. There was almost no mention of the 20th anniversary of Madden NFL, the popular yet stagnant football title.

The action started when EA Redwood Shores chief Glen Schofield took the stage to talk about their upcoming sci-fi survival horror action thriller, “Dead Space.”

“This is a departure for EA,” Schofield said, calling his studio’s game “Very, very M rated.”

The game casts you as unsuspecting engineer Isaac Clarke, who, on a routine mission, finds the space station he was visiting ravaged by evil, disgusting aliens.

“We pushed extremely hard on the horror elements,” Schofield said. “The core gameplay mechanism is ’strategic dismemberment’ – the clinical term for ‘you have to tear these creatures apart limb by limb in order to kill them.’”

Gabe Newell, co-founder and managing director of Valve later discussed another upcoming EA action horror game called Left 4 Dead, a heavily multiplayer title, where the game’s artificial intelligence changes the storyline and difficulty based on how poorly or how well you play.

At the end of the briefing, Riccitiello announced that EA was partnering with id Software, the company that invented the first person shooter video game genre with the game “Wolfenstein 3D” and later made “Doom” and “Quake.”

The partnership ushers in a new open-world game called Rage, which combines elements of action and driving, in a “Grant Theft Auto” meets “Mad Max” motif.

Attention was also centered around Will Wright’s upcoming “Spore” game, where players make and control their own creatures in a virtual world. Wright’s Maxis division of Electronic Arts released the “Spore Creature Creator” a few weeks ago to let fans start to dabble in the game and make up their own sets of creatures before the game’s official release in the fall.

“I was hoping we could get around 100,000 [creatures] by September,” Wright said. Within 22 hours, they had surpassed that number. There were over a million within a week.

Within 18 days, there were over 1.7 million “Spores” created. That’s more than the 1.589 million actual species known to exist on earth, Wright pointed out. And that says something about the anticipated impact “Spore” will have when it’s released in September.

The movie, being developed by Film Roman — also behind the animation on the Simpsons and King of the Hill — is expected to be released before the game comes out on Halloween.

“We are really excited to be working with Film Roman to create an animated feature that will tell the portion of the Dead Space saga between the comic and game,” said Glen Schofield, Executive Producer for Dead Space. “With the video game, comic book and now animated movie, Dead Space has become a true multimedia brand. Each of these elements delivers the story to new audiences and tells it from different aspects and perspectives.”

The script for the Dead Space animated movie, focusing on the events of an alien infected, futuristic mining ship, picks up where the comic book left off and leads directly to the beginning of the game.

“Due to the richness and complexity of stories that have evolved for video games, they have become a type of entertainment that can span generations and provide fantastic inspiration for other forms of media; especially in the realm of animated features,” Film Roman President and COO Scott Greenberg said. “We’re particularly thrilled to be starting off with Dead Space.”

Dead Space, which will be the first of at least three features based on EA titles, will first air on the Starz network, then be released via DVD and digital distribution.

Redwood City, CA – January 22 – Electronic Arts Inc. today announced that Burnout Paradise for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360 video game system is now on store shelves in North America and will be available in Europe on January 28. The much anticipated Burnout Paradise is critically acclaimed as the Best Racing Game by the 2007 Game Critics Awards.

Burnout Paradise is built with an all-new open world design to provide the ultimate in freedom and discovery online and offline. Players will be able to create their own personal driving experience, as you decide when and where the action begins. It is a totally seamless experience, as Burnout Paradise sets the new standard in online social gameplay. See your friends online with the EasyDrive Friends List and connect with them instantly without having to wait or exit your game. You can battle up to seven of your friends and grab their Mugshots, or join forces to complete more than 300 online challenges.

“Burnout Paradise is the natural evolution of the franchise as we wanted to give the player full control to create their own personal Burnout experience,” says Alex Ward, Creative Director at EA Criterion. “The city really comes alive when players get together with their friends online, aggressively blasting through the streets at insane speeds to see who is king of the road. The team at EA Criterion couldn’t be more happy and excited to be delivering a truly next generation Burnout title.”

Burnout Paradise has been rated E10+ by the ESRB and 3+ by PEGI. For more information about Burnout Paradise, please visit http://burnout.ea.com.