LucasArts today announced that it is preparing two rounds of additional content for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed this Fall. This new content will be available for Xbox 360 owners through Xbox Live Marketplace and for PlayStation 3 owners through the PlayStation Network. Pricing and availability for these downloadable items will be announced at a later date.

1. The first piece of downloadable content will be comprised of additional costumes and character models that can used while playing through the single-player campaign, including Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Kit Fisto.

2. The second round of downloadable content, due later this year, will feature an entirely new single-player mission, set in the Jedi Temple on the planet Coruscant. Darth Vader’s Secret Apprentice turns to the Jedi Temple to learn more about his father, and while searching through the rubble of the destroyed building he must confront his inner demons.

Both sets of content are being created by LucasArts’ internal development team.

Additional themes and picture packs will also be released over time.

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Electronic Arts has announced a Red Alert 3 Special Collector’s Edition, which they are calling the Premier Edition, for the launch of the World War III real-time strategy game on October 28th in North America and October 31st in Europe. The PC version’s Premier Edition will set you back $64.99 or £44.99. No plans were announced for an Xbox 360 version. You’ll be able to pre-order the Premier Edition’s both at retail and online.

The Red Alert 3 Collectors Special Edition includes:
* Limited Edition collector’s tin
– Five exclusive multiplayer/skirmish maps
– Bonus DVD featuring the following:
– Full-length Raising the Iron Curtain making-of movie with exclusive interviews from the star-studded cast
– Concept art montage video “From Pens to Pixels”
– Bloopers and outtakes from the cinematics sessions
– Women of Red Alert 3 montage video
– An inside look into the future of Command & Conquer and Red Alert
– Tips on how to unlock the secrets of each side, directly from the developers
– Complete video walk-thru on one of the game’s most difficult missions
* Game Soundtrack including exclusive remixes of Hell March and Hell March 2 by From First to Last, plus the all-new Hell March 3
* Women of Red Alert 3 Poster
* Exclusive Beta Key to a future Command & Conquer game;
* An exclusive in-game item for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning - Korssar’s Helm Description: This magical Kislevite helm is imbued with the spirit of the wild North and will magically transform the wearer into a ferocious bear.

If you pre-order at Gamestop, these extras are included:
* Free copy of Red Alert 2
* GameStop Exclusive multiplayer/skirmish map with in-game Gamestop
* Red Alert 3 Bonus DVD

Need more incentive to get the Premier Edition? This video shows all the women and men of Red Alert 3.

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Electronic Arts today confirmed the cancellation of their Tiberium FPS Command & Conquer spin-off game. The tactical first-person shooter for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 was to be set in the traditionally RTS Command & Conquer universe and was last month delayed for a 2009 or 2010 release.

According to EA “The game was not on track to meet the high quality standards set by the team and by the EA Games Label. A lower quality game is not in the best interest of the consumers and would not succeed in this market.”

Mike Verdu, executive producer for Electronic Arts, further explained in a memo he sent out to EA LA: “It is with a heavy heart that I announce an end to all work on Tiberium effective immediately. I’ve consulted with Nick Earl and Frank Gibeau at the EA Games Label and together we have reached the conclusion that given the time and resources remaining, we will not be able to deliver this product to an appropriate level of quality.

The game had fundamental design challenges from the start. We fought to correct the issues, but we were not successful; the game just isn’t coming together well enough to meet our own quality expectations as well as those of our consumers.”

Personally I enjoyed the first Command & Conquer FPS called Renegade (2002). But when Tiberium was announced I always kept in mind that Renegade 2 (based in the Red Alert universe) was also in development and cancelled by EA.

Quotes via Kotaku

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Twentieth Century Fox wants to make games out of their movies, starting with the Dragonball: The Movie videogame! To achieve these plans, they’ve put Senior Vice President of New Media Licensing Gary Rosenfeld in charge of their Licensing & Merchandising’s games development staff.

To quote: “Rosenfeld will explore opportunities in the growing PC online game space and investigate new business models and partnerships in the console publishing area. A handful of Fox properties will make it to the top of his list as he begins this new endeavor, starting with the studio’s major upcoming film releases and television brands, including Avatar, Night at the Museum - The Battle Of The Smithsonian, Ice Age 3, Dragonball, The Simpsons and Family Guy.”

It’ll be interesting to see how this turns out. But it’ll have to overcome the stigma placed on such low quality movie-based games as Street Fighter: The Movie game, which was also based on a live-action fighting movie like Dragonball: The Movie.

From DBthemovie, via Kotaku

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Electronic Arts announced that renowned filmmaker Zack Snyder will bring his unique vision to the development of three original EA games. Snyder will lead the creative direction of the games while working in partnership with the production team at EA Los Angeles, the same studio currently collaborating with Steven Spielberg on Boom Blox and other games in development with Mr. Spielberg. Snyder’s recent works include hit movies, “The Dawn of the Dead” and “300”. He is also currently working on a movie adaptation of “Watchmen” based on the legendary comic book series, due to release in March 2009.

Under the agreement with Cruel & Unusual Films, EA will own the intellectual properties and the game franchises will be developed, published and distributed worldwide by EA. The relationship between Snyder and EA includes efforts to extend the game franchises into theatrical motion pictures. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“I think video games are cool because they offer an opportunity to tell a story in an entirely unique way,” said Zack Snyder. “Being a long time fan of the games EA creates, I look forward to collaborating with them.”

Frank Gibeau, President of EA Games Label said, “Zack Snyder has a fresh and bold creative style that resonates with our core audience. Zack is the perfect partner for joining us in creating powerful new interactive fiction.”

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From the creators of LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Batman: The Videogame brings the one-and-only Caped Crusader to life in a completely original storyline. Players will take control of the Dynamic Duo, Batman (Bruce Wayne) and Robin, as well as bonus hero Nightwing to fight Gotham City’s most notorious criminals including The Joker, The Penguin, Catwoman, Scarecrow, and many more. Players can also explore their wicked side and fight their way through the game as the villains, experiencing the game from a completely different point of view with all-new criminal objectives.

With a collection of high-tech suits, gadgets and cutting-edge vehicles on hand, players are able to step into the unique LEGO Batman universe to bring super villains to justice – or, as the villains, to run amok in Gotham City.

“Holy building blocks, Batman!” It’s yet another LEGO game. Find out all about it in this video review.

Read more…

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Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway is the first of the first-person shooter series for next-generation systems. Delivering on the franchise’s compelling story, unrivaled authenticity and intense squad-based action, Brothers In Arms Hell’s Highway drops you into Operation Market-Garden, the largest airborne operation of World War II. Lead Matt Baker, Joe Hartsock and the rest of the 101st Airborne Division as they fight to open “Hell’s Highway” in a daring bid for a quick end to the war. The game makes use of the new Unreal Engine 3 technology for its delivery of the war experience, with new cutting-edge gameplay features and a completely redesigned online component.

Every soldier goes through Hell, but is it worth it? Find out in this Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway video review.

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Sonic and his friends have banded together with leading RPG developer BioWare (Mass Effect, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic) to create a stylish blend of strategy and speed for Sonic’s first RPG, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood or as we like to call it Super Sonic RPG.

Exclusively for the Nintendo DS, Sonic Chronicles mixes a rich story in a 20+ hour quest, hand-painted visuals, fast-paced team combat, and wireless collectible trading into a uniquely compelling adventure. Players will customize their party and characters, choosing from Sonic, Tails, Amy Rose, Knuckles, Shadow, Rouge, and more, and prepare to defeat a menacing new enemy. Rhythmically tapping and dragging with the stylus in Sonic-style battles, players can level up and use Rings to buy new special attacks as they progress through 20 different and beautifully hand-drawn areas including new and classic Sonic locales. With an engaging storyline, lightning fast attacks, high production values, and impeccable visuals, Sonic Chronicles allows gamers to experience Sonic in a whole new way.

Can the Sonic franchise make a splash in the world of portable RPGs? Find out in this Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood video review.

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Namco Bandai Games revealed the We Cheer track list, and with 30 high-energy songs spanning over four decades of music, there’s something to bring out the budding cheerleader in everyone. We Cheer will be released for Wii in America today and in Europe in Q1 2009.

Using two Wii Remotes as virtual pom-poms, get ready to lead your own cheerleading squad to victory with a soundtrack of smoking-hot music featuring chart-topping artists such as pop sensation Natasha Bedingfield, US rockers Paramore and 70s disco darlings KC & The Sunshine Band.

The complete We Cheer song list includes:
• Walking On Sunshine – Aly & AJ
• It Takes Two – Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock
• If You’re Gonna Jump (Paul Oakenfold Remix) – Natasha Bedingfield
• Push It ToTthe Limit – Corbin Bleu
• I Want Candy – Bow Wow Wow
• On Top Of The World – Boys Like Girls
• The Great Escape – Boys Like Girls
• Godspeed – BT
• Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) – C+C Music Factory
• Eye Of The Tiger (Sunset Crew Radio Mix) – Crew 7
• Come Clean – Hilary Duff
• Unbelievable – EMF
• Calabria 2008 – Enur feat. Natasja
• Star – Erasure
• Perfect Day – Hoku
• That’s The Way (I Like It) – KC & The Sunshine Band
• I Say Hey – Kinky
• Footloose – Kenny Loggins
• Bodyrock – Moby
• Born For This – Paramore
• Our Time Now – Plain White T’s
• C’mon N’ Ride It (The Train) – Quad City DJ’s
• I’d Do Anything – Simple Plan
• Jump – Simple Plan
• Stamp Your Feet – Donna Summer
• Whoomp! (There It Is) – Tag Team
• In This Diary – The Ataris
• Groovy Train – The Farm
• The Power Is On – The Go! Team
• The Huddle Formation – The Go! Team

We Cheer gives players the chance to jump, shout and shake it all about, just like a real cheerleader. Using the motion-sensing abilities of the Wii Remote, wannabe cheerleaders follow on-screen commands to perform a variety of high-energy spins, kicks and twists, while taking part in professionally choreographed routines.

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Here’s a list of this weeks U.S. game releases. The most popular games are Silent Hill Homecoming on Xbox 360 & PS3 and Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood on DS. On the downloadable games front we’ve got today’s Wii Shop titles Bomberman Blast, Art Style: Orbient, Super Turrican 2, as well as War World on Xbox Live Arcade (updates Wednesday). No word yet on any games for PlayStation Network (updates Thursday) or GameTap Gold (updates Thursday).

Monday:
Art Style: Orbient - $6 (Wii Shop)
Bomberman Blast - $10 (Wii Shop)
Pipe Mania (DS, PSP, PS2, PC)
Super Turrican 2 - $8 (Wii Shop)

Tuesday:
Carriers of War (PC)
Dark Horizon (PC)
Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility (Wii)
Margot’s Word Brain (DS)
Mortal Kombat Kollection (PS2) — includes Mortal Kombat Deception, Mortal Kombat Armageddon, Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks.
Mount and Blade (PC)
Onimusha: the Essentials (PS2) — includes Onimusha: Warlords, Onimusha 2: Samurai Destiny, Onimusha 3: Demon Siege.
Pop Cutie! Street Fashion Simulation (DS)
Princess Debut (DS)
SAS: Secure Tomorrow (PC)
Silent Hill Homecoming (Xbox 360, PS3)
Sniper: Art of Victory (PC)
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (DS)
The Hardy Boys: The Hidden Theft (PC)
We Cheer (Wii)
Zoo Tycoon 2 Ultimate Collection (PC) — includes Zoo Tycoon 2 and all 4 expansion packs.

Wednesday:
Pet Pals: Animal Doctor (Wii)
Sacred 2: Fallen Angel (PC)
Valhalla Knights 2 (PSP)
War World - $10 (Xbox Live Arcade)

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