Mirror’s Edge was one of the best looking games demoed at E3 and Leipzig this year.

“In a city where information is heavily monitored, agile couriers called runners transport sensitive data way from prying eyes. In this seemingly utopian paradise, a crime has been committed, your sister has been framed and now you are being hunted.”

This fast-paced action-adventure game is coming to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 November 11 and the PC later this winter, Electronic Arts’ DICE studio confirmed this week.

The console demo will be available via Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PLAYSTATION Store. The demo will feature the prologue of the game including the tutorial and a segment of the single-player story mode.

Starting September 26, players who pre-order Mirror’s Edge at selected retailers will get an exclusive code that unlocks the Time Trial mode in the demo. This 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, DICE said.

Check out the game’s official website for more, including videos and screens.

Sony promises the keyboard will come out in late November in North America and by the end of the year worldwide.

We’ve expected this for some time now as Sony moves to social interaction in both its games and its PlayStation Home social network.

The keyboard attaches onto a controller, works standalone via Bluetooth or can be plugged into the PS3 via USB.

It also features a useful touchpad button that acts as a slider, moving around while performing tasks like web browsing.

One of the major titles this keyboard will be useful for is the highly anticipated LittleBigPlanet coming out at the end of the year.

Specifications:

Product Name: Wireless Keypad
Product Code: CECHZK1JP (For Japanese market)
Weight : Approx 60g
Voltage: DC 3.7V
Operating Temperature:
5 degrees C ~ 35 degrees C
Built-in Bluetooth(R) Ver.2.0
Keypad Layout: QWERTY layout
Battery: Built-in Rechargeable Lithium-Ion
Battery Capacity: 610mAh

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.

The cast of Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 follows (in alphabetical order by last name): Gemma Atkinson (the UK’s Hollyoaks), Tim Curry (Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Hunt for Red October), Andrew Divoff (LOST), Kelly Hu (X2, The Scorpion King), Jenny McCarthy (Scream 3, former Playboy Playmate of the Year), Ivana Milicevic (Casino Royale), Jonathan Pryce (Pirates of the Caribbean), J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man, Juno), Autumn Reeser (The OC), Peter Stormare (Prison Break, Armageddon), George Takei (Star Trek, Heroes), and two of the most recognizable names in competitive mixed martial arts Randy “The Natural” Couture (former UFC Heavyweight champion) and Gina “Conviction” Carano (Undefeated Elite XC fighter, American Gladiators).

“This is by far the most exciting cast we have in over 13 years of shooting live-action movies for Command & Conquer,” said Chris Corry, executive producer at EA’s Los Angeles studio.  “The caliber of the performances we received, both individually and collectively, have really raised the storytelling bar for the franchise.  We are really excited that we will be delivering such a high quality production that is on par with movies and television shows.”

“I wasn’t sure what to expect when I came in to work on a video game,” said Jenny McCarthy from the set of Command & Conquer Red Alert 3, while playing Tanya, Allied commando and the most beloved heroine in the history of the Command & Conquer universe.  “What I realized is Red Alert 3 is not just a video game, it’s absolutely an interactive movie.  This is where the people at home get to move the story forward, and where seeing the plot thicken is a reward for a job well done.  And that’s really cool.”

“I think video games are one of the new frontiers for actors and using live action is just another way to connect more easily to the gamer rather than CG or animation techniques,” said J.K. Simmons from the set of the game, who is playing the anti-Communist U.S. President Howard T. Ackerman.  “To be in a groundbreaking game like Red Alert 3 where we are using full on shooting of live actors and to be with Jonathan Pryce, Tim Curry and Peter Stormare, it was a great opportunity for a character actor like me to have some fun.”

EA is also offering die hard fans of the series a “Premier Edition,” a limited edition copy of hte game including a bonus DVD with extra video content, interviews and behind the scenes shots as well as extra content for the game like maps and tips and a beta key for a future C&C title.

Special features in the “Premier Edition” include:

• Command & Conquer Red Alert 2 – One of the most beloved RTS games of all time!
• From Fighter to Assassin – A featurette on EliteXC superstar, Gina Carano.
• Premier Edition Sneak Peek – Exclusive previews of Raising of the Iron Curtain, From Pens to Pixels, Command School, and BattleCast Primetime
• Red Alert Retrospective – A look back at Command & Conquer^TM Red Alert^TM, Command & Conquer Red Alert 2 and Command & Conquer^TM: Yuri’s Revenge^TM
• Exclusive multiplayer/skirmish map for Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 when the game ships
• Exclusive Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 desktop wallpapers

Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 ships in the fall for PC and Xbox 360.  For more, check out the beta for the game at http://www.ea.com/redalert/beta.jsp.

You’ll see this if you’re attending the the Games Convention in Leipzig, but for the gaming denizens who won’t be able to make it to Germany, you should know about the jDome.

“The jDome is a half-spherical rear projection system which immerses the gamer inside the game world,” says John Nilsson, the “J” behind the jDome. “Combining the jDome with off-the-shelf hardware
and software, the jDome gives a low cost Omnimax-like gaming experience at home.”

This is an amazingly simple concept — but someone just had to think it up!

The idea is to immerse the gamer and make you turn your head and interact rather than just stare at a comparatively small monitor.

If you are going to Leipzig, make sure you check this out!

There are some kinks to be worked out, like a $6,000 price tag and the assumption that you’ll be standing while gaming, as Engadget explains, but it still gets points for the cool factor.

More information can be found at http://www.jdome.com