Microsoft has announced that the first high definition episode of South Park, entitled "Good Times With Weapons", will be available in all European countries via the Xbox Lie Marketplace. The download is around 1GB in size.

"Well, you made your voice heard and we've listened - the South park episode will now be available in ALL European countries with Live! We want to send our apologies for the disappointment the original announcement caused amongst the European community but hope that making the episode available helps to ease that disappointment," announced Microsoft...more click on heading

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Remember when everyone thought that Nintendo was crazy to focus on the non-gaming crowd for their next handheld and console systems? Well any look at latest worldwide sales charts proves that the company knew what they were talking about. The "Touch Generations" line of software exclusive to the Nintendo DS has aided in giving the handheld a huge appeal in the market place, with Electroplankton, Nintendogs, and Brain Age being excellent examples of titles that appeal to both the hardcore and non-gaming communities. With such a broad appeal, Nintendo has decided to bring over their Touch Generations brand to their newest home console, the Wii.

Thanks to a recent post over at the Siliconera website, we now know of two select titles that will soon be under the Touch Generations banner in Japan. Wii Sports and Wii Play will be the first Wii titles introduced to the product line, with more expected to follow. The addition of Wii titles to the brand was revealed in a brochure that was packaged with the recently released Fire Emblem: Goddess of Dawn in Japan. We can’t wait to see what unique Wii/DS titles the company plans to add to the growing line of software.

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The PlayStation Network is painfully behind Nintendo Co.'s Virtual Console for the Wii and Xbox Live for Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360.

Both of those services already have strong online communities for gamers and a diverse, steady flow of new content that Sony hasn't been able to match yet.

That's not to say the situation can't be remedied. The fact that it's online means the service can be updated and tweaked over time, and Sony has done a good job of continually updating the PlayStation Network with new features and fixes...more click on heading

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According to IDC, none of the three new videogame consoles - the Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii, will dominate the market in the next five years like the PS2 dominated last cycle; however, Nintendo's Wii will outship and outsell the 360 and PS3 in 2007 and 2008.

IDC's study, "Worldwide Videogame Console Hardware and Software Forecast 2006-2011: Ready for a New Game", provides an analysis of the worldwide videogame console and handheld hardware and software markets. The research group said that what is interesting about this particular generation of gaming manufacturers is that each vendor has clearly differentiated hardware and strategies...more click on heading

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It's easy to praise the PlayStation 3 for its crisp graphics and multimedia capabilities: pretty much every PS3 video game features some of the best-looking visuals around.

But there's one area where Sony Corp. definitely has some catching up to do _ online gaming.

The PlayStation Network is painfully behind Nintendo Co.'s Virtual Console for the Wii and Xbox Live for Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360...more click on heading

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THQ's critically acclaimed MotoGP series will return this year with MotoGP '07 for Xbox 360. The previous instalment in the high-octane racing series was also an Xbox 360 exclusive and there looks to be no signs that the game is moving platforms.

The latest instalment will feature the complete 2007 MotoGP season, including the newly-announced Misano event, and an improved "race day" experience, said to capture the excitement and spectacle of a live MotoGP event...more click on heading

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For the launch of the PlayStation 3 in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Australasia on the 23rd of March, it will receive a special hardware update. This update will allow for some PS2 games to be compatible with the PlayStation 3, right off the bat. The only downside is that there won’t be much more compatibility for the PS2 on the PS3, because Sony wants to move forward.

“PS3 is first and foremost a system that excels in playing games specifically designed to exploit the power and potential of the PS3 system,” said David Reeves, President of SCEE...more click on heading

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2K Sports, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Today announced that Major League Baseball 2K7 for the Xbox 360 and Xbox video game and entertainment systems from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION 3 and PlayStation 2 computer entertainment systems, and the PSP (PlayStation Portable) system has gone gold. Major League Baseball 2K7 showcases breathtaking next generation graphics, all new Signature Style player animations, and authentically detailed ballparks, making it the most authentic baseball video game experience to date...more click on heading

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Two new collections of casual games intended to be the life of the party, "Wii Play" and "Fuzion Frenzy 2," instead come off as a surefire way to make your friends leave early.

Casual game collections are designed to be "pick-up and play" titles that have very little plot, easy-to-learn controls and require virtually no time commitment (unlike a typical role playing game, which take upwards of 40 hours to complete). The simple designs and short challenges are supposed to make them perfect for gamers of all skill levels to play together...more click on heading

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PlayStation 3 continues to evolve. Phil Harrison, President, Worldwide Studios, Sony Computer Entertainment, discussed how the platform would evolve, if the PlayStation Network can catch up with Microsoft's Xbox Live and reminded us that Sony is in the videogame industry to make money.

"For me, it was watching people line up on the street just waiting to buy a PlayStation 3; it really brought home three years of work." ...more click on heading

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Wii was touted as the system where the idea could prevail over a big budget, but in an interesting turn of events, the early success of Nintendo's new generation console has cost independent developers the chance to make games for the system.

Water Cooler Games' Ian Bogost reports that the Wii Independent Developer Program is "on hold" until the end of March, because "the Wii publishers are taking all of the available inventory, and more," according to Nintendo of America...more click on heading

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Nintendo of America President, Reggie Fils-Aime, spoke in an interview at last week, explaining and apologizing for the shortages of Wii and DS Lite consoles. "We apologize that it continues to be a difficult problem to get your hands on [a Wii]," he said. "The fact is, we manufactured 4 million Wii consoles by the end of the calendar year."  ...more click on heading

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Gamesdog are reporting that the Fight night series may be on its way to Wii this year. In an interview with Fight Night producer, Michael Blank he revealed the following information:

"We're talking about it right now. We're contemplating and we definitely feel there are some exciting things we can do with the Fight Night franchise and the Wii," said Blank...more click on heading

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Capcom have shot down rumors of a possible Wii incarnation of PS2 adventure game Okami.

Rumors had previously circulated on the Internet hinting that the company were following the possibility of producing a Wii version. However, a Capcom representative this week issued the following statement: ..more click on heading

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Adding to its growing line of gaming headphones, Turtle Beach has announced the Ear Force W3 wireless headphones, designed specifically for use with the Nintendo Wii gaming console system.

The W3's 'behind the neck' design keeps them in place, while their connection nature means there are no cords to tangle during the active motions that playing on the Wii can require. The W3 design also complements the Wii color scheme, with a white base and blue accent lettering...more click on heading

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