Video Game Leagues?

By MAY WONG, AP Technology Writer Mon Apr 17, 6:58 AM ET

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Professional video gaming is set to debut on cable television later this year, potentially paving the way for the kings and queens of game controllers to become as familiar to American households as the faces of Johnny Chan or Annie Duke in televised poker.

Major League Gaming, the world's largest organized video gaming league, on Monday will announce a programming deal in which USA Network will air seven one-hour episodes in the fall, featuring the pro circuit and its players.

Though video gaming fans have been able to follow competitions on game Web sites for years already, MLG's television deal marks the first time regular TV viewers would be able track the ups and downs of a pro tournament, watching video gaming as a new kind of extreme sport.

"This is the sign that pro gaming has finally arrived to the mass market," said Matthew Bromberg, MLG's president and chief operating officer. "It's like poker was two years ago, or Nascar 15 years ago."

The upcoming televised series will aim to engage viewers with not only with the game play itself — featuring top players of "Halo 2" on XBOX and "Super Smash Bros. Melee" on Nintendo — but also sports-like commentary and profiles of the players.

Red Steel on Nintendo Revolution wows small crowd thanks to Ubisoft.

Ubisoft showed off the Revolutions controller for it's upcoming FPS which merges swordplay and gunplay with the unique nature of the controller.

No, I don't have the pics, they were scanned.:)

Latest Phantasy Star title set to makes its way to the Xbox 360 as well...

Posted: 16:56 on 19 Apr 2006

By: Chris Leyton

Joining previously confirmed Playstation2 and PC versions, SEGA Europe in conjunction with SEGA of America today confirmed that Phantasy Star Universe will also be heading to the Xbox 360.

Scheduled for release in the Autumn, Phantasy Star Universe offers an engrossing single-player adventure spanning multiple planets, along with an online multiplayer aspect that takes full advantage of Xbox Live.

"The reinvigoration of this beloved franchise on the Xbox 360 signifies another step for SEGA towards next-gen leadership," said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President of Entertainment Marketing, SEGA of America, Inc. "Phantasy Star has a rich history, and now with Phantasy Star Universe in support of the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, gamers can enjoy a fantasy role-playing experience of unprecedented depth both online with their friends, and offline in the robust single-player game."

The first single-player Phantasy Star title in over 13 years, Phantasy Star Universe promises more than 40 hours of gameplay in an engaging storyline, complete with stunning cut-scenes and a strong cast of characters. The game follows the adventures of Ethan Weber, a 17-year old cadet, who begins his epic journey by first rescuing his sister at a colony under siege by mysterious life forms known as The Seed.

Online up to six players can team up and explore all three planets in the Gurhal system, searching for rare items, levelling up and teaming up to conquer exhilarating new quests.

With over 200 weapons in over 20 different weapon categories, Phantasy Star Universe also introduces player controlled vehicles to the series as players combat over 70 unique enemy species.

RR7?

Posted: 13:19 on 19 Apr 2006

By: Jon Wilcox

The fact that Namco decided to produce Ridge Racer 6 as an exclusive title for Xbox 360, with the arcade racing title pretty much synonymous with Sony's range of consoles, may have raised eyebrows but it seems that the developer/publisher has also been hard at work on a further instalment of the series of PlayStation3.

Screenshots from what appears to be a 'Ridge Racer 7' trailer have begun to appear online recently, with taglines boasting of the game's 'Original Drift Handling' and players able to experience 'Real Speed and Real Unreality'...whatever 'real unreality' means.

No official confirmation on a seventh Ridge Racer title has been made by Namco, but it would come as no surprise if they didn't produce an instalment for the latest generation of PlayStations given the series' history on the Sony platforms in the past.

Stars, writer join play for latest "X-Men" game

By John Gaudiosi 30 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Activision's new "X-Men: The Official Game" is the latest example of the growing integration between Hollywood and games. It not only includes the likenesses and voices of several stars from the movie, it also brought in a screenwriter from "X-Men: The Last Stand" to make sure the game remained true to the Twentieth Century Fox and Marvel Studios film.

Hugh Jackman,

Patrick Stewart,

Alan Cumming and

Shawn Ashmore will reprise their film roles as Marvel's comic book mutants Logan/Wolverine, Professor Charles Xavier, Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler and Bobby Drake/Iceman respectively.

"When you plan on producing a game that features characters that the fans have come to know well in film, one of the things you must address is having your audience perceive your characters as 'genuine,"' said Activision executive producer Scott Bandy. "One of the best ways to ensure this is to work with the same talent that has brought the character to life in the films."

The game, which will be released May 16, serves as a prequel to "X-Men: The Last Stand," which bows May 26. Zak Penn, one of the film's screenwriters, was brought in to co-write the videogame with scribe Chris Claremont, who is renowned from the franchise's comic book incarnation.

"My job was to sync up the film with the game," said Penn, who's an avid gamer. "The game's based on the comic universe, which is different than the film world. I was charged with bringing the game characters into the reality of the movie."

Having written dialogue for these actors for the past three films, Penn worked with Activision to create cut scenes -- non-interactive cinematic sequences that advance a video game - that remained true to the film universe. Penn previously worked on Activision's "Fantastic 4" videogame, which also blended film actors with Marvel comics.

What I've been Playing:

Oblivion

DOA 4

Anime News:

J-Rock is now a family value 

Korn will be repeating their Family Values Tour this summer, starting at Virginia Beach on July 27. Among the acts joining Korn at the concerts will be Japanese group Dir en grey.

Korn singer Jonathan Davis described Dir en grey as, "This crazy Japanese band that are just out of their minds." More info on the tour and a partial list of cities it will be visiting can be found on MTV's website.

Dir en grey performed an opening theme for Baki the Grappler. Dir en grey's fifth album, Withering to death, was released in North America last month. It was their first album to be distributed in North America. Thanks to Aila and Vicious for this info.

Anime Explosion at Universal

When: Midnight, Friday, April 21st

Where: The Universal Cineplex at Universal City Walk Orlando

We will begin wristbanding at 10:30 pm at the table just inside the lobby.

Sanjo saves a girl from a demon. She then invites our heroes to her place. The place is huge mansion, but she lives there alone. Then Hakkai senses that something must be wrong. She cannot possibly have prepared a huge feast for our heroes by herself. Unfortunately his fear became true! They've been trapped! Who is the culprit? And what is the connection between the girl and the culprit?

 Convention Corner:

Jacon!!!

Animusical footage can be found at:

http://www.wasabianime.com/website/index.php