PS3 Exclusives to Look Forward to This Year

Even though the PlayStation 3 has had its share of system sellers from years gone by, 2009 looks like its best year so far with tons of exclusives on the horizon. Today we’ll take a look at the more interesting ones:
 
Heavy Rain: The Origami Killer

From the makers of Indigo Prophecy comes yet another film noir-ish thriller in which you step into the boots of multiple characters hot on the trail of a killer known only as the Origami killer. Gameplay will mainly involve context sensitive actions but the game’s draw will be in its deep, intricate, dark and disturbing story line.

Agent

Not much is known about the game as of now except that it’s being developed by Rockstar games and it’s a PS3 exclusive. Now in all honesty I really don’t think this game will see the light of day before 2010 but since we have no concrete release date to fall back on, one can dream right?

MAG (Massive Action Game)

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MAG or Massive Action Game is basically an online multiplayer only first person shooter on steroids in which you’ll have servers where 256 players will be able to play against each other at one time. Ambitious yes?

The Last Guardian

From the makers of ICO and the Shadow of the Colossus comes a spiritual successor to both those games that tells the magical tale of a special bond between a huge mythological creature and a young boy in a hostile world.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

From gameplay videos we’ve seen so far, Uncharted 2 is looking ace. It looks phenomenal and has all the makings of an enjoyable Hollywood blockbuster (epic set pieces, big explosions etc). Oh and it’s also got multiplayer now.

Gran Turismo 5

If realistic racing sims adorned by photorealistic visuals are your thing, Gran Turismo 5 is already/should be on your radar.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Yes I know Arkham Asylum is not a PlayStation 3 exclusive but the PS3 version of Arkham Asylum stands to enjoy exclusive bonus content in the form of the Joker actually being a playable character.  Definitely an incentive for fans of the franchise.

Top 10 Swords in Gaming

Be it in first person shooters, third person action games, or massively multiplayer online role-playing games, there's no denying that no gun can feel half as cool as yielding a massive sword that slices, impales and dismembers. With that in mind, we've listed 10 of the most awesome swords in gaming. Here they are:

Blood Reaver
Game: Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Yielded by: Raziel

The ancient sword that was fused with the fallen vampire Raziel, made the duo the 'Soul Reaver' and the most powerful force in the realm of Nosgoth. With this bad-ass blade by his side, Raziel was able to shift between the spectral and physical realm, allowing him to feast on and collect the souls of his fallen enemy.

Energy Sword
Game: Halo
Yielded by: The melee-addict fragger

This one might not have too much lore or any history behind it, but it undoubtedly made for the most satisfying kills in Halo. One hit from this baby could kill a shielded Spartan or a Covenant Elite, or put a smile on your face when you close in on an enemy in multiplayer, and introduce him to the double-edged sharp end of this instrument of melee doom.

Red Queen
Game: Devil May Cry 4
Yielded by: Nero

The real star of DMC 4, the Red Queen was a highly customized, industrial looking sword with a complex fuel injection system that was too complex for any but Nero to yield. This bladed-delight could be revved up thrice to unleash carnage of cosmic proportion upon the enemy!

Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker
Game: World of Wacraft
Yielded by: The Hardcore Raider with no life

The first legendary sword to enter the World of Warcraft, back in the day Thunderfury used to be the most sort after sword for its immense power and insanely good looks. It was one of the hardest swords to get though, since you'd have to raid 'Molten Core' - one of World of Warcraft's best dungeons - week after week in order to even stand a chance at getting this baby.

Twin Blades of Azzinoth
Game: World of Wacraft: Burning Crusade
Yielded by: Illidan Stormrage

These are perhaps the most gorgeous looking blades ever designed. Yielded by the demon Illidan, these blades have seen more bloodshed than any other. For those who were hardcore enough to enter the realm of the Black Citadel and clear it, these blades would lie in waiting as reward.



Frostmourne
Game: Warcraft Universe
Yielded by: Death Knight Arthas

The most popular and revered weapon in gaming - Frostmourne was the Lich King's weapon that would drain the soul of both - its victims and its yielder. Through this sword King Arthas was controlled by, and eventually merged with the Lich King to become the most powerful character in gaming.

Dragon Tooth
Game: Deus Ex
Yielded by: Nanotechnology Whores

Developed by the controversial VersaLife corporation in Deus Ex, Dragon Tooth was the game's most awesome secrets. The nanotechnology-forged sword was build to be unbreakable and to be sharper than the sharpest katanas in existence. The sword wasn't much to look at, but was the most powerful weapon in the game! One shot kills, anyone?

Heavenly Sword
Game: Heavenly Sword
Yielded by: Nariko

This heavenly blade was said to be so powerful that it would drain the life of any who yield it. In Heavenly Sword, the protagonist Nariko honed the blade masterfully to dispatch enough badguys to fill up a small country. The blade consisted of two blades that could be detached to switch between power and speed stances.

Dragon Sword
Game: Ninja Gaiden 2
Yielded by: Ryu Hayabusa

The agile blade was Ryu Hayabusa's weapon of choice for its razorsharp edge, incredibly aerodynamic katana-style and maneuverability. The game's upgrade system allowed you to beef this weapon up till it had a gold hilt, making it far more powerful and unlocking some of the most eviscerating combos ever!

The Blade of Olympus
Game: God of War II
Yielded by: Kratos

Forged by Zeus using the Heavens and the Earth during the great titan war, this blade was bestowed with enough power to defeat the entire titan race with effortless ease, or even kill a God! This magical sword was unlocked to those who finished God of War II, allowing you to upgrade it during a second play through and taste the immense power it stored.

These were our favorite swords in gaming. If you think any other sword needs to be on the list, please leave a comment and share your thoughts with us all!

Zotac GeForce GTX 275 1792MB Graphic Card Announced

Zotac International has unveiled the Zotac GeForce GTX 275 1792MB graphics card, which is the latest addition to its GeForce GTX 275 series. The graphics card combines a high performance graphics processor with a large amount of video memory.

The graphic card has 1792 MB of GDDR3 video memory and provides resolutions up to 2560 by 1600. Its 240 stream processors are supported by an efficient Nvidia Unified Architecture and it can run the latest DirectX 10, OpenGL 2.1, Nvidia CUDA and PhysX enabled 3D games and applications. The card is Dual dual-link DVI output HDCP, DirectX 10 with Shader Model 4.0 and OpenGL 3.0 compatible.

“We try to deliver the best performance value for gamers. With the new Zotac GeForce GTX 275 1792MB, we’ve managed to achieve a balance of performance and value for those that demand more video memory for gaming at extreme HD resolutions,” commented Carsten Berger, Marketing Director, Zotac International.

The graphic processor is suited for Nvidia PureVideo HD technology and is Nvidia Stereoscopic 3D ready. It also has a wide 448 bit memory interface providing true to life visuals. The card has a core clock speed of 633 MHz and a shader clock speed of 1404 MHz whereas its memory clock speed is 2268 MHz. The graphic card features a PCI Express 2.0 interface which is 1.1 compatible. The other hardware features of this active cooled graphic card include Nvidia Lumenex Engine and Quantum Effects Technology.

Prices of the Zotac GeForce GTX 275 1792MB graphics card have not been announced. But it comes with the Zotac Extended Warranty and a full copy of Race Driver: Grid which lets you test the graphic card.

Top 5 Deathmatches

Classes, Unlocks, Squads, Teams, Nodes, Flags - if all those terms make you dizzy, maybe it's time you indulged in some old school deathmatch action. If you're in the mood for an every-man-for-himself free-for-all bloodbath, we feel you! In fact, we've been missing the good old deathmatch so much off lately, that we've decided to commemorate some of our favorite free-for-all indulgences in this article. Here are a few games with our favorite deathmatch offerings:

Unreal Tournament 2003

Right since the original Unreal Tournament days, you could never have a discussion about the hottest deathmatches without mentioning a game from this franchise. Right from the redeemer to the shockrifle, Unreal Tournament hit the sweetspot when it came to weapon selection. Then along came Unreal Tournament 2003, with far sweeter visual, faster action and some really massive shock-rifle combo-blasts! The best part about this one was that it had a very steep learning curve for those who chose to indulge in it. Each weapon had its individual learning curve too, with different ways of honing them - the Flak Cannon could be used to scatter shots around corners, the rocket launcher could load-up a payload of three boom-booms and blast an unsuspecting duo of enemies fighting each other, and the shock-rifle could me masterfully honed to combo the alternate fire with its primary fire, to create an explosion that would send your enemies' limbs gleefully skimming through the air.

Quake III Arena

The classic shooter, and one of the first shooters to make it extremely big in the multiplayer competitive shooter scene - Quake III Arena undoubtedly dwarfs most other deathmatches by leaps and bounds. From the pin-point precision of the rail gun and its per-shot load time, to the powerful but laggy blasts of the Plasma rifle, each weapon was balanced out perfectly to ensure that only those with true skill could dominate each match. The unique and customizable character selection were a big boon, but what really took the cake was the game's masterfully designed maps that allowed you to catapult yourself between platforms (how I love DM17!), and others that were labyrinths of claustrophobic passages that would make for great rocket launcher splash damage zones. This game was the manifestation of online carnage!

Alien Versus Predator II

Some of you might find this game ill-fitting to this sort of a list, but don't dismiss it yet. Not only did Alien Versus Predator II have a superb singleplayer campaign, it had some of the best multiplayer deathmatch modes out there! It had the best of both worlds - you could pick between different classes of Marines, Aliens or Predators, each of which played vastly different from one another. Marines were all out firepower, Predators were stealthy and lethal, and Aliens were sneaky, fast and devastating in close quarters combat. There were great modes, the best of which was one that allows you to start off as an Alien Face-hugger that let you latch onto the enemy, and depending on their race, you'd get a different hybrid of an evolved Alien with unique abilities!

Halo 3

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As much as the Halo series might seen overrated, there's no denying that it always had some of the best multiplayer play to offer. The deathmatches right from the first Halo game have been top-notch, with the perfect mix of great maps, awesome power-ups and some of the best vehicular combat in multiplayer. Running after a tank with the invisibility power-up, yielding a rocket-launcher, and planting a rocket right in the driver's face, has got to be one of the most satisfying things you could do in a deathmatch, and it was possible in all Halo games.

F.E.A.R. Combat

F.E.A.R. Combat got a new addition to the mix of deathmatches - Slo Mo DM - that allowed the yielder of the reflex booster to slow time down, and frag all his sluggish opponents with a distinct speed advantage on his side. It was absolutely the most orgasmic feeling to use your nail-gun and pin your enemies to the wall in slow motion, or to shoot from your grenade launcher and see debris fly all over the place, with the dead enemy(s) rag-dolling like a kitten in a washing machine! The best part about the game was that it was completely free, so if you haven't tried it already, please do yourself a favor and download it from here.

Maroon 5 and Warped Tour Artists to Hit Rock Band Music Store This Week

After recently revealing the full set-list for the Rock Band Country Track Pack featuring songs from famous country stars, Harmonix and MTV Games announced that they will be introducing more tracks to the Rock Band Music Store. They plan to add songs by Maroon 5 and artists featuring on this year’s Warped Tour, to the Rock Band Music Store this week.

The Warped Tour is an annual international music and extreme sports festival which started in 1994 and this year’s Warped Tour is going to be held between the end of June and August. Five tracks by artists performing on this year’s Warped Tour and a pack of three tracks from Grammy Award winning band, Maroon 5, will be released this week. The band holds the distinction of selling nearly 15 million albums worldwide.

The five songs from this year’s Warped Tour are The Downfall of Us All by A Day to Remember, 21st Century Digital Boy by Bad Religion, I didn’t Say I Was Powerful, I said I was a Wizard by Chiodos, The Flood from Escape the Fate and Underoath’s Reinventing Your Exit. The three tracks from Maroon 5 coming this week are Little of Your Time, Makes Me Wonder and Wake Up Call. The tracks can be availed of as part of the Warped Tour Pack or the Maroon 5 Pack and can also be purchased individually. All the 8 tracks are master recordings.

Harmonix and MTV Games will make the tracks available on the Xbox Live Marketplace on June 23, 2009 and on the PlayStation Store on June 24, 2009. Individual tracks can be bought for USD 1.99 (approx. Rs.95) or for 160 Microsoft Points. The Maroon 5 Pack can be purchased for USD 5.49 (approx. Rs.265) or for 440 Microsoft points while the Warped Tour Pack costs USD 8.49 (approx. Rs.410).

Pre-order Halo 3: ODST and Unlock Sgt. Johnson in Firefight

Halo 3, developed by Bungie, is a first person shooter which was released around two years ago. The game went on to register record sales and was the best selling game of 2007 in The US. Halo 3: ODST is a new game in the Halo series and it covers the events which lead to the captivating story told in Halo 3.

We have word that fans who pre-order Halo 3: ODST will receive a token which will help them unlock UNSC Sgt. Johnson as a playable character in Firefight, the new cooperative multiplayer mode. Sergeant Avery Junior Johnson is a veteran marine who has seen his fair share of war and is a highly decorated war hero.

In Halo 3: ODST, the player assumes the role of an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, who has to find a way to regroup with separated squad members and investigate the Covenant’s invasion of New Mombasa. The game also introduces a new cooperative mode called Firefight. In this mode, players team up to form an ODST squad and battle hordes of enemies across a variety of battlefields. To add to the excitement, the enemies keep getting harder to kill as you progress in the game. The game has incorporated Halo 3’s ‘Skulls’ which activate from time to time to further increase the difficulty level and add new depth to the gameplay.

The game includes a second standalone disc, containing a total of 24 maps which include all Halo 3 maps and three new Halo 3 multiplayer maps. It also contains the Legendary, Heroic and Mythic Map Packs.

Bungie will release Halo 3: ODST on September 22, 2009 and it will be priced at GBP 39.99 (approx. Rs.3170). The game will be available exclusively for the Xbox 360 and fans who purchase the game will get access to Halo: Reach multiplayer beta when it goes live.

Awesome Game Expos Besides E3

Now most of you may have heard of E3 since it’s become somewhat of a household name among gamers but there are dozens of other expos that take place around the world throughout the year. Sure they may not be as extravagant and commercial as E3 but they’re a good source of information and many of them are open to the general public as opposed to E3 that’s strictly for the press. Today we'll take a look at five such expos.

Games Convention


When: July 31st 2009 – August 2nd 2009
Where: Usually held in Leipzig, Germany, the conference has been moved to Cologne (in Germany itself) this year.

Why should you care: Last year’s Games Convention was a tremendous success clocking over two hundred thousand visitors. In fact last year’s event was so well received, people started referring to it as the spiritual successor to E3. Oh and this event is open to the general public for an entire day.

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PAX (Penny Arcade Expo)

When: September 4th – 6th 2009
Where: Seattle, Washington

Why should you care: PAX is the brainchild of the two talented dudes behind the Penny Arcade comics. The Expo is all about games (largely indie stuff), LAN parties, concerts and having a good time while in a drunken stupor. It's wholesome non-corporate fun for everyone.

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TGS Tokyo Game Show


When: September 24th – 27
Where: Japan

Why should you care: Like PAX and GC, TGS is open to the general public for two entire days. During that time you’ll witness video games and some of the best cosplaying on the planet. And don’t let the name mislead you; even though a large amount of content is geared towards the local audience, there’s something for everyone in there.

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Comic Con

When: July 23rd – 26
Where: San Diego

Why should you care: Unlike what the name may suggest, Comic Con is an expo for pretty much every form of entertainment on the planet be it comics, movies, video games etc. And the icing on the cake is that this event is open to the general public on all four days.

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PlayStation Experience

When – TBA 2009
Where: All over India

 

Why should you care: For starters this is pretty much the only high profile expo in India. And with a name like PlayStation Experience, don’t go expecting anything besides Sony hardware. Still it’s open to the public and it’s a chance for gamers to get their hands (momentarily) on high profile PS3, PS2 and PSP games from both 1st and 3rd part publishers.  

Besides the above mentioned expos you also have stuff like BlizzCon and QuakeCon. The only reason I didn’t mention them in the article is because they’re specific to both Blizzard and id Software.

Some Video Games Can Make Children Kinder

Most of us are aware of the relationship between violent video games and aggressive behavior. But now for the first time, researchers have found that some video games can make children kinder and more likely to help other people.

Pro-social video games involve characters who help and support each other in non-violent ways.

Three separate studies conducted in different countries using different age groups and a variety of scientific methods all suggest that playing games with pro-social content cause players to be more helpful to others after the game is over.

Douglas Gentile, lead author and a psychologist at Iowa State University said: "Dozens of studies have documented a relationship between violent video games and aggressive behaviours. But this is one of the first that has documented the positive effects of playing pro-social games."

"These studies show the same kind of impact on three different age groups from three very different cultures," said Brad Bushman, study co-author from the University of Michigan. He added that "the resulting triangulation of evidence provides the strongest possible proof that the findings are both valid and generalisable."

Some Video Games Can Make Children Kinder

Most of us are aware of the relationship between violent video games and aggressive behavior. But now for the first time, researchers have found that some video games can make children kinder and more likely to help other people.

Pro-social video games involve characters who help and support each other in non-violent ways.

Three separate studies conducted in different countries using different age groups and a variety of scientific methods all suggest that playing games with pro-social content cause players to be more helpful to others after the game is over.

Douglas Gentile, lead author and a psychologist at Iowa State University said: "Dozens of studies have documented a relationship between violent video games and aggressive behaviours. But this is one of the first that has documented the positive effects of playing pro-social games."

"These studies show the same kind of impact on three different age groups from three very different cultures," said Brad Bushman, study co-author from the University of Michigan. He added that "the resulting triangulation of evidence provides the strongest possible proof that the findings are both valid and generalisable."

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Ghostbusters: The Video Game to be Published in India by Sony

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Atari Europe and Sony Pictures Consumer Products have made known that Ghostbusters: The Video Game will be published in India for the PS2 and PS3 by SCEE in June.

Fans of the series will get to join the ghost-busting team as a new recruit in a game which takes place some two years after the events from the second Ghostbusters movie. The game’s story has been written by Harold Ramis and Dan Akroid, the original Ghostbusters writers. The game brings together the original cast members for the first time in twenty years and features the voices of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson, and performances from Brian Doyle-Murray, Annie Potts and William Atherton.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game, developed by Terminal Reality and Red Fly Studios will be available this June to PS2 and PS3 owners. The version of the game for the PSP is expected to be available in the autumn.

Awesome Games Based on Movies

It's easy to come up with a list of crappy game-to-movie conversions, since almost every big budget Hollywood flick and its grandmother was followed by a substandard piece of gaming garbage developed by Neanderthals. I'm sure most of them sold well riding on the movies fame alone, but that's a whole other story. When it comes down to great games based on movies though, it's a whole new ball game and you've got to respect the developers that don't budge under studio pressure, and deliver a great game that's an awesome experience independent of the movie fame. Here are a few such games based on movies that have earned our respect:



Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
Platforms: Xbox, PC
Released: 2004

If you've not played Escape from Butcher Bay, you've not tasted melee combat in all its glory! There's nothing like pummeling the face of a prison inmate with your bare-fist (or one of the gazillion melee weapons you find in the game) as you hear Vin Diesel's cocky one-liners in his gruff voice, that the lot of us gamers have learnt to associate with all things awesome. If you liked the dark universe of the movie, the game took the gritty setting to the next level through the highly fortified prison complex of Butcher Bay.

You'd traverse multiple layers of the prison, you'd sneak past guards, stab them in the back, and ambush the unsuspecting prisoner with a screwdriver in the face. If you're a fan of the movie and love great melee combat and stealth, you owe it to yourself to play this one.


X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Platforms: Xbox360, PS3, PC
Released: 2009

If you like blood and gore, the Uncaged Edition of X-Men Origins: Wolverine lets you impale, maim, eviscerate, mutilate, decapitate, dismember and down-right mince-ify any and everything you came across! The game didn't follow the movie's story entirely, and the developers added their own bits and pieces to the mix, which is inspiring since developers of movie-offshoot games rarely get that much freedom; this game should be a testament to why they should be given such freedom!

Think of this one as the God of War of the X-Men universe, and Wolverine's Adamantium Claws as the Blades of Chaos; this caged beast chews through almost everything through some of the most visceral, gory and stylish moves that are sure to quench your thirst for blood.

Spiderman 2
Platforms: Xbox, PS2, PC, GameCube
Released: 2004

For once a Spiderman game managed to capture an experience that did the franchise justice! While the game based on Spiderman 2 meandered around the story of the movie, there were many villains included from the comic book series, quite a bit of sidestory added to the mix, and a whole lot of freeroaming included. You could freeroam through the crime ridden streets of New York City, scale the highest buildings, bust robberies and swing through the air at lightening fast speeds, making you feel as epic as Peter Parker did when he donned that suit.

If you're a Spiderman fan, you owe yourself the pleasure of playing this one - it's the best game to come out of the franchise, and perhaps any comic book series!


Aladdin
Platforms: PC, Sega Genesis, SNES
Released: 1993

Based on the super-successful Disney Animated movie 'Aladdin' that released way back in 1992, this game bedazzled the lot of us with some of the best cel-shaded visuals ever.  Aladdin used new technology developed by Virgin Interactive, that allowed the developers to take Disney's detailed animated frames and compress them so that they'd play fluidly using the highly limiting power of PC during those days.

The result was a game that was ahead of its time! This sidescrolling platformer offered challenging gameplay too, as the sword-slinging Aladdin would traverse desert locales, jump over spiked pits, stab weird, scantily-clad, scrawny men that would throw bottles at him all to save the love of his life. Then there were a huge number of bonus levels that would award you extra lives and continues! There was just so much going on in this game, that you couldn't help loving it!

The Matrix: Path of Neo
Platform: PC, Xbox, PS2
Released: 2005

After the first game based on the series called 'Enter the Matrix' disappointed us, Shiny Entertainment did it right with the second called Path of Neo, and picked the best action sequences from the movies and let you play every one of them! While the gunplay was a little lousy, the game featured orgasmic melee combat, where you could learn most of the moves from the movie and incorporate it into the gameplay.

The storyline felt a little haphazard though, so the game would completely confuse anyone who's not a fan of the series. Fans, on the other hand, loved this game completely!


That's it for our list of awesome games based on movies. If there are any such games you'd like reminisce about, please share them with us via a comment.

Is Sony Planning to Launch its own App Store?

iPhone and iPod Touch users can download games and applications via the Apple App Store. And with the release of Sony’s new handheld system, the PSPgo, UMDs will become all but obsolete. In fact, rumor has it that Sony is planning to put in place an App Store dedicated to the PSPgo.

Destructoid has been informed by “sources close to game development” that Sony is pushing developers for smaller games and applications, best suited for download, for its PSP. Also, Sony is said to be ready to reveal this new development at gamescom in Cologne, Germany which will take place in August. Apparently the company plans on keeping the price of these “non-retail” games low-key, considerably less than retail UMDs.

The smaller games and applications are likely to be priced somewhere in the USD 2 (approx. Rs. 95) and USD 6 (approx. Rs. 290) price brackets, and would have file sizes of not more than 100 MB each.

Codies and Ashes Cricket 2009 get Kevin Pietersen as Cover Athlete

Codemasters had said earlier that Ashes Cricket 2009 would be coming this summer. Now the publisher has officially announced that it has signed England batsman, Kevin Pietersen, to be the cover athlete for the game.

Kevin Pietersen, batsman for England, enthused, “I am delighted to be involved with the official game of the Ashes. The game looks fantastic and I’m sure both England and Australia fans are going to relish the opportunity to take part in a virtual Ashes series. Representing your country in the Ashes is a huge honour and I can’t wait for it to start.”

Ricky Ponting, who graces the Australian game’s pack art, comments, “I think it’s going to be massive. There are guys all over the world playing against each other trying to recreate us playing against England at grounds like Lords. We have some bad memories from our last trip to England to play in the Ashes so we are desperate to put it right.”

Commentary in the game will be given by Shane Warne and Sir Ian Botham, lovingly known as “Beefy”. The two will take up commentating positions and will also host the ‘Legends Mode’ in the game.

Speaking on his role in the game, Shane Warne says, “Recording commentary for the game was a lot of fun and I am really pleased with the result. It’s always good to have some banter with Beefy. I played in eight Ashes Series and it’s an amazing feeling to represent your country on the biggest stage. Hopefully Ashes Cricket 2009 will allow cricket fans a taste of what that feels like.”

“I’m sure cricket fans in England, Australia and all around the world will have a lot of fun playing against each other on Ashes Cricket 2009,” said Sir Ian Botham. “I’m very pleased to be involved in the game and hope that the people who play it enjoy the Legends Mode. In 2005 we all saw what kind of positive effect a successful Ashes series can have on the country and hopefully the boys can emulate that this year.”

Ashes Cricket 2009 is to feature kits, equipment, stadia and players that have all been fully licensed, adding to the authenticity of the game.

Ashes Cricket 2009 is being developed by Transmission Games and will be published by Codemasters for the PS3, PC, and Xbox 360. A Wii version of the game is currently in development with Gusto Games and will be released in August.

The Conduit for Nintendo Wii has gone Gold: Sega

Sega and High Voltage Software have made known that their new FPS, The Conduit, has gone gold and will be out in North American stores by the end of next week. The game will be available only on the Nintendo Wii platform.

The story takes you to a futuristic Washington DC; you play the role of a newly inducted government agent, Michael Ford, whose job is to investigate the bizarre attacks in the capital city. The game has you battling a variety of enemies ranging from rogue agents to aliens, and to do so you are given a variety of weapons to choose from. A new multiplayer mode lets you compete against players from around the world.

The developers, High Voltage Software, designed a new game engine known as Quantum3 especially for the Wii platform so as to provide graphics not seen before on the Wii. The player is allowed to customize everything from the cursor sensitivity to the camera change speed. The enemies are also a lot smarter and harder to kill owing to the advanced AI which lets them strategize while in battle.

The game is to be released in the UK and Australia on June 26, 2009 while the North American release is set for June 23, 2009.