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January 26th, 2008
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., – October 22, 2007 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that the newest iteration of the street football arcade series FIFA Street will return with a new look that turns the game’s global football icons into stylized action heroes and a simplified control system that enables you to easily perform over-the-top trick moves. Scheduled for release in spring 2008 under the EA SPORTS BIG™ brand, FIFA Street 3 is in development in Vancouver, B.C. by EA Canada, and the studio that is also home to the industry-leading FIFA 08 videogame.
The third chapter in the FIFA Street series creates a fast-paced and larger-than-life arcade football experience for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. FIFA Street 3 creates a hyper-real world that merges the game’s biggest stars with environments that pulsate to the music in exotic locales around the world.
Featuring over 250 of the world’s best players representing 18 of the top international teams, each player has been rendered into a stylized caricature with heroic qualities. Decked out in authentic training kits, every player boasts their own, distinctive style of play with unique abilities to match. Whether you’re after brawn, brains, silky skills or crunching tackles to complete your team, the perfect street player is out there. Choose from Tricksters, Enforcers, Playmakers and Finishers to give you different options on the ball and make your mark on the street.
“We have completely re-invented the FIFA Street franchise by turning the game’s biggest stars into action heroes using art direction that makes you look twice,” said Joe Nickolls, producer on the project. “The power of the Next Generation hardware gives us the horsepower to break new ground for consumers, making it the perfect stage to enjoy a multi-player, sports action arcade experience. Casual gamers and sports fans can expect a simplified control system that makes it
easier to perform spectacular moves and enjoy the game with friends, yet still be a challenging experience for more seasoned gamers.”
Using the same engine as the critically acclaimed NBA STREET Homecourt basketball arcade game, combined with the market-leading AI from FIFA 08, FIFA Street 3 delivers animations and ball control that enables you to take complete control of your players with a responsive and intuitive control system that makes it easier than ever to pull off sensational moves. Use the simple button configuration and analog stick to seamlessly combine moves – providing you with hundreds of different ways to show off your street skills. Fill up your all-new Game Breaker to power your ultimate abilities and express yourself like never before. Maneuver your players to leap past defenders, flip off walls, or perform gravity-defying one-timers to score spectacular goals.
From the urban playgrounds of South America to the rooftops in Asia to the streets of Europe, your players perform to an eclectic selection of music seamlessly infused into the surroundings, where the game’s environments pulsate, and explode to life with every well-timed tackle, outrageous trick move or unstoppable shot on goal.
Take your football heroes to the streets and experience the revolution in street football. FIFA Street 3 is scheduled for worldwide release this spring on the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3. FIFA Street 3 has not yet been rated. Screenshots can be downloaded at http://info.ea.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™, EA™, EA SPORTS BIG™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2007, EA posted revenue of $3.09 billion and had 24 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.
January 24th, 2008
Lost: Via Domus is a game based on the TV series featuring characters struggling to survive on a seemingly deserted Pacific island.
If you’re a fan of the Lost TV show, you’re no doubt aware that the long wait for season four is almost over. If you’re also a fan of games, which is implied by the fact that you’re reading this, you should likewise be aware that a game inspired by the popular show is scheduled for release next month. We’ve seen very little of Lost: Via Domus since it was announced more than 18 months ago, which is why we jumped at the chance to check out a near-finished Xbox 360 version of the game during a recent visit to Ubisoft’s San Francisco office.
Set during the first two seasons of Lost, Via Domus is an adventure game in which you’ll assume the role of an all-new character whose storyline intertwines with those of other castaways instantly recognizable from the show. Your name is Elliott, you were a passenger on the Oceanic 815 flight out of Sydney that crashed on an uncharted island somewhere in the Pacific, and–like oh so many game protagonists before you–you’re suffering from amnesia. None of the other survivors on the island know who you are except for one, and given that he makes it clear early on that he dislikes (read: wants to kill) you, there’s really only one person who can help you to remember, and that’s you.
You’ll piece together your fragmented memories via playable flashback sequences that involve more shooting than perhaps any other aspect of the game–with a camera, that is. It seems that your character was a photojournalist in his previous life, and after being afforded a look at torn pieces of a photograph, your goal in each flashback sequence is to take the photo depicted in them. For example, the first flashback takes place while flight 815 is boarding and tasks you with shooting a photo of the handcuffed fugitive Kate being handed a bottle of water by the marshal who’s escorting her onto the plane. Having successfully completed that flashback–in which you’ll also have an opportunity to look around the plane and at your precrash possessions–you’ll remember seeing Kate’s predicament in the present day and will have the option to broach the subject with her in a subsequent conversation.
It should come as no surprise to anyone even vaguely familiar with Lost that Via Domus isn’t a shooter; there’s not nearly enough ammunition on the island for that. Rather, Lost: Via Domus is a story-driven adventure game in which action scenes will serve to punctuate quests that primarily involve exploration and conversation. The only truly action-oriented sequence that we saw during our demo, in fact, was when we were chased through the jungle by the Black Smoke (it’s exactly what it sounds like: a big, black cloud of smoke). The chase played out much like those you might have previously experienced in platform games: We used the analog stick to run and to avoid areas of mud and water that slowed us down, while two of the controller’s face buttons were used to jump and to duck obstacles, respectively.
The start of your adventure more or less coincides with the start of season one. You find your way to the beach with some help from Vincent (that’s the dog), and when you arrive you see that Jack (that’s the doctor) is busy trying to help other would-be survivors. True to character, he wastes no time enlisting your help. You’re asked to deal with a potentially dangerous fuel leak from the plane engine that’s still roaring on the beach. This puzzle, like many others in the game, involves arranging differently shaped fuses on an electrical board to divert power where it’s needed. Fuses, we’re told, were scattered all over the island when Oceanic flight 815 crashed, and considering that these puzzles can be solved only if you have the correct fuses in your possession (it’s highly unlikely that you ever won’t), you’ll do well to pick up any that you see.
Your primary objective in Lost: Via Domus, as is alluded to in the Latin portion of the title, is to find a way home. Of course, you’ll be exploring plenty of locations along the way, and although the events of the game are set solely during seasons one and two of the TV show, there will be opportunities to visit locations that were never shown until season three. Furthermore, Lost: Via Domus will let you explore environments that have never been fully revealed in the show, including the Black Rock interior and the area behind the mysterious magnetic wall inside the Swan. Other locales that ended up not being story-critical in the game (we know of at least two, but don’t want to spoil the surprises for you) can still be explored, though they’re present only as hidden Easter eggs that you’ll have to jump through hoops to reach.
Interestingly, Lost: Via Domus is divided up into episodes similarly to the show, even to the extent that each episode starts with a recap of the previous one and ends with a show-style cliffhanger. Besides being faithful to the experience of watching Lost on TV, the episodic structure of the game has afforded the development team a relatively easy way to have time pass on the island as your adventure progresses. For example, while playing through the first episode, you’ll notice that the castaways aren’t really functioning as a group yet and are wandering around the beach looking for possessions lost in the accident. If you attempt to talk to the character Sun, you’ll also notice that she responds only in Korean. In later episodes, just like in the show, Sun will speak in English (she kept her language lessons a secret from her husband), and the beach is covered with makeshift shelters constructed from crash debris and other materials found on the island.
To talk too much about the events that we saw transpire during our demo would risk spoiling the story that’s such a big part of Lost: Via Domus. We can tell you that you’ll be doing a lot more with your favorite characters from the show than just talking to them, though. For instance, you’ll get to go hunting for boars with Locke and, given that even the game doesn’t include a map of the island, you can assist Sayid in his efforts to draw one. We can also tell you that you’ll be spending plenty of time in darkened labyrinthine tunnels where, among other things, you’ll need a good supply of flashlight batteries. Like everything else in the castaways’ postcrash world, batteries are a valuable commodity that you’ll need to either scavenge for yourself or acquire through trades with other characters. Practically every item that you pick up on the island has an approximate monetary value associated with it, so, for example, you might find that you’re able to swap a $50 “Apollo” candy bar for any number of more commonly available (though much more useful) items.
We didn’t get to spend nearly as much time with Lost: Via Domus as we would’ve liked on this occasion, particularly considering that this was our first opportunity to play it and the game’s release is only a little more than a month away. We came away from our meeting with Ubisoft feeling confident that fans of Lost will get a kick out of joining their favorite characters on the island, but we’re not entirely convinced that the game’s conversations and exploration will be nearly as interesting for the rest of you. The action sequences and puzzles certainly have a more universal appeal, but those appear to have been designed with the TV audience rather than gamers in mind, and are unlikely to pose a significant challenge. We look forward to bringing you more information on Lost: Via Domus in the not-too-distant future.
January 24th, 2008
One of the most anticipated games of 2008 has been given a firm release date. Take-Two Interactive has issued a statement saying that Rockstar North’s Grand Theft Auto IV will be released simultaneously for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, worldwide, on April 29. The game had been set for a 2007 release–the delay to 2008 was blamed on the “time-intensive nature” of the dual-platform development. A release date of April 25 had previously been rumoured for the UK.
The latest iteration of Grand Theft Auto follows the adventures of new character Nikolai Bellic as he searches Liberty City for an as-yet-unnamed person from his past. The release, which some analysts see as having the potential to out-sell Halo 3, could provide a major boost for Rockstar’s parent company Take-Two Interactive, which has struggled financially over recent quarters.
January 24th, 2008
Crysis is a sci-fi first-person shooter from the award-winning developer Crytek, the developers of the critically acclaimed Far Cry.
Earth, 2019: A colossal asteroid crashes down to Earth.
The North Korean Government quickly seals off the island chain, claiming the mysteries of the asteroid for themselves. The United States responds by dispatching an elite team of Delta Force Operators to recon the situation and report back to the Pentagon. Amid rising tensions between the US and North Koreans, the asteroid suddenly bursts open, revealing a massive, 2km high alien ship. The ship generates an immense force sphere, freezing a vast portion of the island and drastically altering the global weather system. The invasion of Earth has begun.
The two rival nations unite to stop the aliens and save mankind. The newly formed alliance fights epic battles against the marauding Aliens. With hope rapidly fading, the player must lead a crack squad through lush tropical jungle, harsh frozen landscapes, and finally into the heart of the alien ship itself for the ultimate Zero G encounter with the aliens.
Crysis offers players a highly immersive FPS experience in which they will have to adapt their tactics, weaponry, armour and gameplay style to survive and defeat the alien invasion.
Crysis uses the leading-edge technology of Crytek’s proprietary engine CryENGINE.
Features
 
An immersive story that puts you the player in the pivotal role to repel an alien invasion and save mankind.
A unique three-act structure that forces the player to use real-time armor and weapons customization to adapt to an ever changing dynamic world.
Encounter a compelling, frightening alien species that uses its senses intelligently and works in combination with each other to present players with the most challenging opponents yet in an FPS.
Enemy and ally AI utilise real-world military tactics.
Take control of a wide variety of land, sea and air vehicles including trucks, tanks, boats and helicopters.
Explore a living, dynamic world where earthquakes, breaking ice, landslides, and tornados which pose a real and an ever-present danger.
32-player Multiplayer with real-time armour and weapons customization and an all new mode that combines player modification and tactical objectives.
Emergent gameplay; actions taken in the game affect future outcomes giving each player a unique experience.
Highly robust and easy to use mod toolset allow players to create their own expansive levels with game modes for both multiplayer and single player.
The most realistic environments, spectacular special effects, physics game engine, lighting system and enemy AI through CryENGINE 2.
Minimum Requirements: CPU: Athlon 64 3000+/Intel 2.8ghz
Graphics: Nvidia 6600/X800GTO (SM 2.0)
RAM: 768Mb/1Gb on Windows Vista
HDD: 6GB
Internet: 256k+
Optical Drive: DVD
Software: DX9.0c with Windows XP
Category: First Person Shooter
January 24th, 2008
Football Manager 2008 is the next iteration of the prize-winning Football Manager series developed by world-respected studio Sports Interactive. The latest version of Football Manager will be fully updated for the new season and will allow players to select their favourite club or international team and guide them to glorious success by putting them through Cup matches, Leagues, European Championships and even major international tournaments, with over 5,000 playable teams from over 50 countries.
Fan feedback on the previous version of Football Manager was, as always, taken very seriously by the Sports Interactive team, resulting in over a hundred new features, including a brand new advisory system to help new players through the different aspects of the game. This makes Football Manager 2008 the most accessible Football Manager yet, without losing any depth for the more experienced player.
With all-new features, improved gameplay and a depth only seen from Sports Interactive, Football Manager 2008 offers a management simulation that is second to none.
Features
Match Flow - The largest change to match-day in a Sports Interactive game since the introduction of the second match engine. Match flow brings more atmosphere to match-days with match previews, team talks, opposition player instructions, the match itself, half time and post match. These now seamlessly follow on from one another, with no more pausing to make tactical changes, and a mini-radar pitch whilst making those tactical changes to keep you in touch with what’s going on in the match
International Management - The international management gameplay has been completely revamped for Football Manager 2008, including, but not limited to, media improvements, international retirements, player interaction, international scouting, improved pool selection, captain selection and a separation of international and club morale for players.
Easier to Use - A much cleaner skin, a brand new advisor system to help players through various areas of the game. A new notes and notebook system, better button positioning for simpler navigation and an updated tutorial and manual. Also, coach reports make taking over a new team easier, and the new calendar system lists all important dates throughout the season. These all help to make Football Manager 2008 the easiest Sports Interactive game to use yet.
Confidence - Players can now easily tell what the board and supporters think about their performance in the game through the new confidence section. This gives players feedback not just on their current progress in competitions, but also their financial management and signings.
Transfer Centre - A new way of managing all current transfer and loan bids for a players club, both incoming and outgoing, making it easier to compare bids and reject or accept them.
Match Engine Improvements - A greatly improved match engine, once again utilising the footballing brain of former Republic of Ireland international player Ray Houghton as well as other tools used by real-life managers to make the most accurate simulation of football in a computer game. The ability to change the pitch dimensions at the start of the season to suit players styles of play better has also been added.
Awards re-write - An overhaul of the awards system inside the game which is not only more accurate now, but also includes new awards such as the European golden boot, and a “best eleven”, which shows the all-time (in game) best eleven for all teams and nations.
Finances revamp - To reflect the changes in modern day football, Sports Interactive have updated the finance area of Football Manager 2008 to better reflect the ever changing football world, with more information available to the manager too, including, but not limited to, corporate match day income, season ticket news, investment funds, improved sponsorships, collective win bonuses, and the ability to move around funds from the wage budget and transfer budget (and vice versa) at any point to help you in your quest for the ideal squad.
Fan days - The board can now arrange fan days to boost ailing attendances, or for matches that are likely to attract a low crowd, with a long term affect to attendances if all goes well.
Expanded media - More media and feedback than ever before, plus more detail in existing media, and a new competition news section to find out what major things are going on in all league competitions
Regenerated player photo’s - All in game generated players now have pictures using FaceGen technology to give each player more personality, and the ability for the players to be seen to grow up in front of your eyes as the game is going on.
Faster - Saving and loading is now significantly faster, with network gaming faster and smoother to play, as well as tactical changes and match reports being quicker than ever before.
System Requirements
* Windows XP
* 1.2 GHz Processor
* 256 MB RAM
* Sound Card Required (Direct X 8.1)
* 4x CD/DVD-Rom Speed
* Graphics Card (Windows Compatible)
* 750 MB Free Hard Disk Space Required
January 24th, 2008
The new action-thriller from the award-winning team at Infinity Ward, the creators of the Call of Duty series, delivers the most intense and cinematic action experience ever. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare arms gamers with an arsenal of advanced and powerful modern day firepower and transports them to the most treacherous hotspots around the globe to take on a rogue enemy group threatening the world. As both a U.S Marine and British S.A.S. soldier fighting through an unfolding story full of twists and turns, players use sophisticated technology, superior firepower and coordinated land and air strikes on a battlefield where speed, accuracy and communication are essential to victory. The epic title also delivers an added depth of multiplayer action providing online fans an all-new community of persistence, addictive and customizable gameplay.
Features
Authentic Advanced Weaponry - Featuring an available arsenal of more than 70 new and authentic weapons and gear from assault rifles with laser sites, claymore mines, .50 caliber sniper rifles, and M-249 SAW machine guns. With accessories like night-vision goggles and ghillie suits, for maximum concealment, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has players locked and loaded to accomplish the mission.
Coordinated Assault and Support - Delivering the most visceral action thriller ever, the title covers modern battle from the soldier to the satellite, where the need for air support is critical to success. The adrenaline rush deployment enlists gamers to fast-rope from tactical helicopters, ride in an armada of attack choppers, utilize jets to remove enemy strongholds and even engage hostiles from thousands of feet above the ground inside a state of the art aerial gunship.
Cinematic Quality Graphics and Sound - Featuring stunning next-generation graphics, players will be drawn into the cinematic intensity of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Amazing special effects, including realistic depth of field, rim-lighting, character self-shadowing, texture streaming as well as physics-enabled effects will enlist players into the most photo-realistic gaming experience. Combine the lifelike graphics and the realistic battle chatter with the Call of Duty award-winning sound design and players will face battle as they have never before.
Unparalleled Depth to Multiplayer - Multiplayer builds from the success of Call of Duty 2 delivering a persistent online experience for greater community interaction. Featuring create-a-class options allowing players to customize gear that is best suited for play, to experience points enabling unlockables and perks, all the way to matchmaking and leaderboards for the latest in tracking, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare’s multiplayer is set to deliver easily accessible and addictive online play for all.
Minimum Requirements: Supported OS: Windows XP or Windows Vista
Processor: 2.6 GHz Pentium IV or equivalent (3.2 GHz recommended for Vista)
RAM: 1024 MB (1536 MB recommended for Vista)
Video Card: DirectX 9-compliant Shader 3.0 card with 128 MB of DDR Video Memory (256 MB recommended) AGP 8x or PCI-Express x16
Sound Card: 16-bit DirectX 9-compliant sound card (PC audio solution containing Dolby Digital Live required for Dolby Digital Audio)
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (XP) DirectX 10.0 (Vista)
DVD-ROM: 8x DVD-ROM or faster
Hard Drive Space: 8 GB (recommended 600 MB space left over for Windows® swap file)
Multiplay: 512 Kbps upstream or faster
Supported Chipsets at time of release: NVIDIA® GeForce 6/7/8 Families or ATI Radeon X800 or higher.
Category: First Person Shooter
Rating: 16 Years and above
Supplier: Activision (click here for our Activision store)
Please Note: Any images are used for illustrative purposes only, actual products and/or packaging may differ
January 24th, 2008
We just got sent a slew of new screenshots for Alone in the Dark! Taking inspiration from the presentation style and structure of a number of acclaimed and globally popular TV action dramas, Alone in the Dark is split into distinct episodes in a season-style format. Eden Games has departed from the typical ten hour game based on film-style scripts and structures and focuses on TV-season format in order to deliver a constant sustained pace and high level of narrative intensity.
“Our new format for Alone in the Dark greatly enhances the pace and tension, keeping players permanently hooked into the engrossing story surrounding the mysteries of Central Park and beyond,” said David Nadal, Game Director, Eden Games. “You barely have time to breathe before the next cliffhanger hits you…”
With approximately 30-40 minutes of gameplay comprising each episode, the structure of Alone in the Dark is adapted for an audience familiar with the hard-hitting bite-size delivery of contemporary TV dramas, offering easy accessibility whether the player has hours to devote or only wants a quick TV-style fix.
Each time the player launches a saved game, the episode will begin with a video summary of the previous episode to quickly re-immerse the player in the story, removing the need to remember where they were or what they were doing. Every episode will close with a nail-biting cliff-hanger ending to rattle players’ nerves, and if the player is leaving the game, a video teaser of the next episode will play to leave them wanting more.
The original Alone in the Dark is the video game that launched survival gaming and set the standard within the genre. Alone in the Dark returns with a heart-stopping action survival experience realized through the use of state-of-the-art real-time physics and unprecedented environmental interaction. Delivering an exhilarating action-orientated experience within a highly detailed, open environment, Alone in the Dark once again takes the lead for innovation and excellence within the genre.
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EA’S FIFA STREET 3 TURNS GLOBAL ICONS INTO ACTION HEROES FOR THE ULTIMATE ARCADE FOOTBALL EXPERIENCE
