Mass Effect

The galaxy is trapped in an endless cycle of extinction. Every 50,000 years, an ancient machine race invades the galaxy. With ruthless efficiency, the machines wipe out all advanced organic civilization. They leave behind only the scattered ruins of technology, destroying all evidence of their own existence.

Few believe this ancient legend. You, however, know it to be true. The fight to stop this extinction event has become the most important mission in the galaxy.

"You must act without remorse, without hesitation, and outside the limits of the law."

It is your mission. As Commander Shepard of the SS Normandy, you will take your elite recon squad across a galaxy in turmoil, in a desperate race to stop the return of an enemy without mercy. To stop this enemy, you must act without remorse, without hesitation, and outside the limits of the law. Your only imperative is to preserve the safety of civilized life in the galaxy - at any cost. You must become the tip of the spear of humanity, for you alone know the full extent of what is at stake if you should fail.

Science-fiction Role-playing: Perfected

Mass Effect allows you to create your own customizable version of Commander Shepard (or jump in and use the pre-created character) and plunge yourself into the center of an epic science-fiction story. Choose your squad-mates, your weapons, skills and abilities, and customize your vehicles, armor and appearance - you are in complete control over your experience.

In the course of your mission to stop the machine invasion, you may choose to follow the path of the soldier, the tech-specialist, or the biotics-specialist…each of which brings an arsenal of unique yet equally powerful abilities to use against the enemy. Wield a multitude of weapon types with precision accuracy…utilize your technical skill to turn enemy war machines against their creators…or unleash the full power of Dark Energy against your foe with devastating effects.

As you progress throughout the game you will improve your character's skills, abilities, and equipment (including weapons, armor, biotic implants and more) to ensure that you have the means to face the growing threat before you.

This customization also extends to the MAKO - the rover with which you will explore the surface of hostile alien worlds. You can improve your vehicle's grip, speed, armor, boosters, weaponry and more.

The role you choose to play in Mass Effect will have tremendous consequences on the galaxy around you. You will face moral dilemmas in which the decision you ultimately make will significantly alter the fate of civilized life in the galaxy.

The Vastness of Space Beckons

Your mission will take you into the deepest reaches of known space - and beyond. Aboard your ship, the Normandy, you will choose which planets to investigate, and where to take your team. In addition to the major worlds of the main story arc, you will have the freedom to visit a wide array of uncharted planets and other locations such as asteroids and abandoned space freighters adrift in space. On many worlds, take your team planet side in the MAKO in order to explore and find alien life, ancient artifacts and ruins, rogue trader colonies and a host of other amazing discoveries.

Lose Yourself in a Living Galaxy

Mass Effect combines astonishing photo-realistic graphics with innovative new dialog systems to create a cast of living characters to interact with. Engage these characters in real-time conversations that allow you to immerse yourself in dramatically charged situations.

Characters communicate with full voice-acting and amazing animation that displays their emotions right down to subtle nuances in their facial expressions. Every wrinkled brow and slight twist of the mouth is captured to infuse every interaction with a feeling of realism.

Lead Your Squad in Intense, Real-Time Combat

The struggle to stop the return of the machines will ultimately be a violent one. You will assume responsibility for the lives of your squad as you lead them into often uncharted, hostile alien environments. Each decision you make could mean the difference between victory and disaster. Although combat will take place in real-time, you will have the ability to pause combat and issue commands to your squad which they will then execute with the precision of a highly trained elite force. Upgrading certain skills and abilities as you level up your character will also allow you to increase your ballistic skill - this can ultimately lead to easier aiming, more damaging use of weapons, and biotic effects with the power to turn the tide of battle in your favor.

http://masseffect.bioware.com/gameinfo/

Too Human

(news from http://www.xbox.com)

Step into the world of Too Human, the epic action-game for Xbox 360™ from famed developer Silicon Knights®. As the Cybernetic God Baldur, you get thrust into the midst of an ongoing battle that threatens the existence of mankind.

An ancient machine presence has forced the God’s hand. In the first of a three part trilogy, Baldur is charged with defending mankind from an onslaught of monstrous war machines bent on eradication of human life.

• Synergy of melee and firearms combat: It takes more than brawn and raw strength to supplant the machine hordes. Utilize a sophisticated blend of seamless melee and firearms combat to vanquish foes close and far. Feel each punishing blow through advanced visual effects .
• Advanced cinematic presentation: Characters and environments come to life with unparalleled visual fidelity. Experience the full excitement of combat through a dynamically driven presentation system that portrays the combat with cinematic quality. A sweeping orchestral score sets the mood for heartbreak, anger and bloodlust as each tune encapsulates you within the immersive gaming environment.
• Intuitive combat provides new level of accessibility: Perform Baldur’s elaborate and complex combat maneuvers through the press of a button and chain together rapid-fire combos with ease. Through the use of an intuitive combat system, Too Human provides gameplay that is easy to learn and rewarding to master and introduces combinations of weapons combat on a level that exceeds the bar previously set by some fighting games.
• Modern take on a classic story: The story chronicles the ongoing struggle between Cybernetic gods, machine giants and mortal men on a massive scale never before seen. Play the role of a cybernetic god charged with protecting the human race against a relentless onslaught of machines.

(news from http://www.xbox.com)

$50 million for GTA IV Downloadable Content

The first 25 million is for the first episodic content package that ’s supposed to go out and that is in March of ’08. That’s why it moved into current because it’s in the next 12 months. The second 25 will be for the second episodic, the episode, and that will be later in fiscal ’08

Ninja Gaiden Sigma

(news from http://www.psxextreme.com)
Ninja Gaiden Sigma. Released this past Wednesday in Japan, for its first day of sales Ninja Gaiden Sigma managed to sell 20k copies. With another six days remaining, I'd estimate first week sales of 40-45k for the game.
(news from http://www.psxextreme.com)

Metal Gear Solid 4

Time Crisis 4

lmost as if to reinforce our point earlier today that the company is by no means abandoning Sony or the PlayStation 3, Namco Bandai has just officially confirmed that it is indeed developing Time Crisis 4 exclusively for the PS3.

Of course, we already knew that the game was in development, but it's always nice to have confirmation that a North American release is planned. Along with the game, the company is also releasing a newly-designed Guncon (pictured, sadly only Japan gets the swanky black version, because guns don't kill people there apparently), which is rumored to work exactly like a Wii Remote, complete with sensors on top of the TV and everything.

You'll find what we do know about the game in the press release below:

Santa Clara, Calif., June 15, 2007 – Leading video games publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. announced today that Time Crisis^®4, the franchise made popular by its arcade-style gameplay accessory, the Guncon^®, is being developed exclusively for the PLAYSTATION^®3 computer entertainment system. The newest installment in the popular action-shooter series propels the hit franchise into the next generation, with an in-depth First Person Shooter mode, stunning High-Definition graphics and a newly designed Guncon to complete the total Time Crisis experience.

“The Time Crisis franchise is known for delivering an immersive experience that completely captivates gamers.“ Makoto Iwai, Senior Vice President and COO, NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., said, “With Time Crisis 4 on the PLAYSTATION 3 system, we have enhanced the experience by redesigning the Guncon, and evolved the series to address what gamers have come to expect from the shooter genre – FPS gameplay. We are confident that the gameplay in Time Crisis 4, as well as a variety of enhancements made for the PLAYSTATION 3 system, will draw players into the Time Crisis universe like never before.”

Time Crisis 4 continues the series’ tradition of delivering intense and exciting action-packed gameplay. Players are given the task of preventing a top secret weapon from falling into the hands of international terrorists. With 4 modes of gameplay delivered in true HD, players will have a vast gaming experience to enjoy.

Featuring a new dual analog stick design, the next-gen Guncon^® 3 is capable of delivering entertainment to any home theater setup, supporting both High Definition (HD) displays and Standard Definition (SD) displays.

With the redesign of the Guncon the power of the PLAYSTATION 3 system has been maximized to deliver a high-spec Arcade mode in addition to an all new FPS mode.

New to the Time Crisis franchise, the FPS mode allows players to move freely through stages. In addition to basic game controls such as switching weapons, changing camera angles and character movement, a full feature set of gameplay actions including crouching, jumping, sniping provide a completely immersive FPS gameplay experience. A vast assortment of upgradeable weapons, unlockable bonus weapons and the ability to capture enemy machine guns mounts, make Time Crisis 4 the most in-depth and expansive Time Crisis title yet.

For more information about Time Crisis 4 and other NAMCO BANDAI products please visit: http://namcobandaigames.com/games/

Resistance: Fall of Man goes multi-platinum

article by (http://www.psu.com)
Resistance: Fall of Man was obviously the game of choice at the launch of the PlayStation 3, but nobody knew exactly how successful it would be. Some feared that the great game would be wasted as a launch title, as sales would be limited to relatively small quantities of owners. This has not turned out to be the case.

In the context of discussing the Manchester Cathedral issue with the media, Sony added that Resistance: Fall of Man has sold over two million copies worldwide.

The folks over at Insomniac must be smiling pretty wide at their first-gen title's sales numbers. Let's hope Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction finds even greater success.
article by (http://www.psu.com)