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Velocity Vector
"STACKED" (from Myelin Media) will allow players to play in poker tournaments on XBox Live. Daniel Negreanu and other pros (including David Williams, Carlos Mortensen, and the infamous Josh Arieh) will participate.
Sony has announced that the PlayStation Portable will be available in Europe on September 1:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=8231
3D Realms and Human Head Studios have announced that "Prey" will be available in 2006. Given the history of this title, I'd be very cautious when placing any bets.
Cornutopia Software have announced the release of their latest game Gunstorm, now available on www.cornutopia.net with a download under 3Mb.
Gunstorm is a single screen space shooter. Mouse, keyboard or joy controlled, Gunstorm is a top down arcade game where the player must ascend through levels of alien waves, meeting different guardians along the way. Several game types are available to select and play. Gunstorm represents the most advanced game in a series stretching back to 1992. Influences include Asteroids and Deluxe Galaga.
One of the best features of Gunstorm is the balance of gameplay. A lot of work has gone into making each level get progressively more difficult, without ever becoming impossible. Visit www.cornutopia.net for more information.
Atari has announced the "Atari Flashback 2.0" with a new set of classic video games:
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire2005/index.php?category=0&id=30907
C|Net has an article on "The Matrix Online"... not a really good article, but an article nonetheless:
http://news.com.com/The+Matrix+ever-loaded+A+game+for+the+committed/2100-1043_3-5683428.html
TBS has announced a PC games-on-demand network, scheduled to launch this fall:
http://news.com.com/Turner+aims+at+game+market+with+new+service/2100-1043_3-5687037.html
Namco has announced "We Love Katamari" for the PS2, due out later this year. Judging by the press release, it looks like more of the same for fans of the original.
Well, Mythic's at it again. They're slamming Sony's Everquest auction service:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=8223
Of course, I'm playing into their hands by posting about it, but I take some satisfaction in watching buffoons humiliate themselves.
It seems some people in Bangladesh lost their minds, and some references to Bangladesh will be cut from SOCOM 3:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=8218
Ideas from the Deep has contacted the FBI, accusing Take Two of piracy:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=8134
Apparently, Take Two has been publishing one of IFD's games without a license, and has been stalling negotations in order to avoid paying.
Moral of the story: indie game developers and other small developers need to be careful when dealing with publishers.
Namco's rolling out the "Namco Museum Battle Collection" for the PSP with 20 games, including "Galaga", "Pac-Man", "Dig Dug", and "Xevious"... Of course, it'd be cheaper to just buy the Atari 7800 versions of those games on eBay, given the price of PSP games.
Ars Technica has an interview with the author of Scorched Earth:
http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/scorched.ars
And here's a link to the official Scorched Earth web site:
http://www.classicgaming.com/scorch/
Oddworld Inhabitants plans to move away from gaming and into film:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=8052
Minus ten points for talking about the "fusion of filmmaking and video games"...
OK, this won't surprise many people, but EA Sports has now signed an exclusive deal with the NCAA:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=7979