NEWS...

• Xbox 360 - World's First Unrestricted Hardware Access @ Spong.com - check it out!. In related news, Gamasutra has a very interesting article about the new features of the 360 and how developers should include them in their games. Finally, also Eurogamer has posted the results of their interview with Chris Satchell, general manager of Microsoft's Game Developer Group, regarding the details of the Xbox 360.
• Playstation 3 supports mouse and keyboard - TheInqurer learned that despite having up to seven Bluetooth 2.0 compliant controllers, and six USB slots, and you will also be able to plug in a keyboard and a mouse. The company representative added that you will be able to play games such as Unreal Tournament 2007 with the keyboard and the mouse. This can mean the end of the auto aiming that you now have on Playstation 2, but I guess that developers will need to make the game fit the controller and keyboard and mouse.
• Konami cooking up Suikoden V [PS2] - Konami is developing Suikoden V for the PlayStation 2, according to the latest issue of Shonen Jump magazine. No release date has been set yet, but development seems to be going well, and the game will be playable at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show September 16-18.
• Resident Evil 4 Collector's Pack Announced [PS2] - Capcom's official website has announced and begun to take pre-orders for the Limited Resident Evil 4 Collector's Pack for the PS2. The pre-order is being sold for $119.95 with free UPS ground shipping for U.S. Continental orders.
• Disciples II announced [NDS] - Disciples II was a gorgeous title with solid turn based gameplay, and it was summarily ignored by the PC gaming masses. Hopefully it will find success on the DS.
• TGS plays nice with PSP game sharing - Sony Computer Entertainment announced that it will set up an area in its booth called the "PlayStation Spot," where PSP owners will be able to download demos of upcoming games. The demo distribution will use the handheld's game-sharing function, which allows for a single PSP to send game data to multiple PSPs simultaneously. Sony has announced that five games are currently scheduled to be involved in the program, with more possibly being added as the date approaches.
• 9 million PSP games, 8.2 million UMD movies sold - Sony estimates that they have already sold 9 million games on UMD and 8.2 million movies
• DS Hits 3 Million Mark In Japan - The DS has to date now sold 3,015,894 units in Japan since its launch. This year's sales have now surpassed the huge number of DS consoles sold last year (when the DS sold almost one and a half million units in its first five weeks).
• Tecmo Announces Free Retro T-Shirt As Ninja Gaiden Black Pre-Order Incentive - Tecmo announced today that an exclusive, retro-style Ninja Gaiden T-shirt is now available as a pre-order incentive when Ninja Gaiden fans pre-order Ninja Gaiden BLACK.

REVIEWS

• PS2: 187: Ride or Die (5/10) / Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance (2/5) / Darkwatch (8/10) / NASCAR 06: Total Team Control (8.5/10) / NHL 2K6 (8.5/10) / Radiata Stories (7.3/10) / InuYasha: Feudal Combat (4/10) / Worms 4: Mayhem (8/10)

• Xbox: 187: Ride or Die (6.2/10) / 187: Ride or Die (6.5/10) / Beat Down: Fist of Vengeance (6.7/10) / Big Mutha Truckers 2 (4.8/10) / Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike  / MotoGP 3 (9/10) / MotoGP 3: Ultimate Racing Technology (8.9/10) / Namco Museum 50th Anniversary Arcade Collection (6.4/10) / Outlaw Tennis (83%) / Tecmo Classic Arcade (4.8/10) / The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (8.9/10)
• Gamecube: Geist (8.2/10) / Mario Superstar Baseball (4/5) / Mario Superstar Baseball  (4/5) / Mario Superstar Baseball (4/5) / WWE Day of Reckoning 2 (3.5/5) / WWE Day of Reckoning 2 (8.1/10) / WWE Day of Reckoning 2 (8.5/10)
• PSP: Ape Academy (4/10) / Ridge Racer (9/10) / Virtua Tennis: World Tour (9/10) / Wipeout Pure (8/10)
• NDS: Kirby: Canvas Curse / Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow / Pac 'n Roll (7.4/10)
• GBA: Disney's That's so Raven 2 Supernatural Style (6/10)

PREVIEWS

• Half-life 2 [Xbox] - The framerate, which used to suffer drastically during some of the more complex sequences, is now generally very smooth. Some of the most intensive areas, such as the train station's courtyard, still suffer from a bit of slowdown. To combat this, the developer has brought the original designers of each map for the PC edition back onto the project to make subtle changes to the levels to increase the framerate in problem areas.  
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire [PS2] - Much like EA's other big-huge-fantasy-movie game series, The Lord of the Rings, Goblet of Fire will let you grab two friends and play through most of the game cooperatively. In past games, Harry, Ron, and Hermione actually played differently, but this time, the difference between the characters will be cosmetic only, so you won't be confined to one character depending on which scenario you're in. You've got two basic spell buttons--jinx and charm--and these will invoke different spells in different levels, depending on the requirements of your current predicament.
• Outfit [Xbox 360] - The Outfit focuses on military action, firepower, as well as thousands of bullets, play a big role in the game. Luckily, instead of running out of ammo, guns just overheat. It's not so bad for most types of guns - you just can't shoot for a while - but if you overuse the flame thrower when it's hot, bad, bad things are bound to happen, especially to your hands, face and any other bits of exposed flesh.
• Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves [PS2] - For the first time on PlayStation 2, use the included glasses to experience 3D depth perception as you gaze hundreds of feet below in mesmerizing locations, watch as objects fly off the screen, and characters and environments come to life. Missions also can be replayed in 3D to locate special objectives and rewards.
• TOCA Race Driver 3 [multi] - TOCA 3 looks to be a bumper pack of racing goodness, with 116 championships, 35 racing classes, 70 fully licensed cars and 98 track variations. Codemasters did a great job with TOCA Racer Driver 2, and they seem to be going one step further with TOCA 3, giving racing fans everything they would ever want in a racing sim.
• Ultimate Spider-Man [multi] - Shacknews has posted a new preview of Treyarch's Ultimate Spider-Man for your viewing pleasure. The title is being developed for the DS, GBA, PC, PS2 and Xbox platforms and is slated to ship to U.S. retailers at the end of September 2005.
• X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse [multi] - The good news is that online is going to be a big part of nearly every version of X-Men Legends II. In fact, the only version of the game that won't feature online play is the GameCube version (for obvious reasons). It's great news that the PS2, Xbox, and PC versions of XMLII are shipping with online support for up to four separate players. It's even better that the PSP version of the game, shipping just a month later, will feature wireless multiplayer for up to four players as well, via either infrastructure or ad hoc. It wasn't working when we were playing the game, but it sounds like it's going to be a great addition to the handheld version.

MEDIA... 

• 24: The Game shots [PS2] - Sony Computer Entertainment Europe have released new screenshots for their upcoming PlayStation 2 game based on the massively successful 24 TV show.
• Bad Day L.A. Trailer and Wallpaper [Xbox] - Although it's based on ten real-world locations, Bad Day L.A.'s artistic style is what pops out the most -- a look of hand-drawn, Saturday morning animation, but in full 3D. But while the look leans toward a family-friendly story, the content is anything but. Dead bodies, blood, fire, smoke, panicking civilians, huge explosions and more populate the world. At the same time, though, Bad Day L.A. is not a serious game. It's meant to be fun, albeit not light.
• Condemned: Criminal Origins trailer [Xbox 360] - IGN has posted a new Combat and Story trailer.
• Ducati World Championship shots [Xbox] - Here are some new images of Acclaim's Xbox motorcycle racing game Ducati World Championship, the game will be available in Q4 2005.
• Fighting for One Piece shots [PS2] - Here are some new screens of Bandai and Eighting's PS2 anime fighting game Fighting for One Piece, the game will have a command triggered super combo system, you have enter a series of commands to determine the strength level of the combo attacks.
• L.A. Rush media [Xbox] - Midway has released new screenshots and gameplay footage of L.A. Rush.
• NBA 2K6 shots [Xbox] - There are so many new aspects to the NBA 2K6 series, such a change in direction from last year, it's a bit overwhelming to step back and think about. They are completely changing the way you dribble and shoot the ball. They are completely changing the way you play The Association. And in months, they changed 24/7 from an NBA focus to playing against rappers. Will it work?
• Shadow of Colossus video [PS2] - Here is a new preview video (Real Media) of Sony's PS2 adventure game Shadow of Colossus.
• Rumle Roses XX video [Xbox 360] - Konami released a new preview video of the Xbox 360 female wrestling game Rumle Roses XX.
• SSX On Tour shots [GC] - Here are some new images of EA's SSX On Tour for GameCube, the GC version features popular Nintendo characters such as Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach.
• The Movies - 'The Starmaker video' [PS2] - check it out!
• Burnout Legends shots [PSP] - Burnout Legends offers on-the-go automotive anarchy, combining the series' trademark speed, destruction and depth with new PSP-only features, gameplay refinements and connectivity. Gamers get eight gameplay modes, including crash, road rage and pursuit, with white-knuckle multiplayer via WiFi, and a GameShare option allowing players to wirelessly share a demo level of the game with friends.
• Goku Makaimura / Xtreme Ghouls n' Ghosts shots [PSP] - Here are some new images of Capcom's Goku Makaimura / Xtreme Ghouls n' Ghosts for PlayStation Portable.
• Street Fighter Zero 3 Double Upper [PSP] - Here are some new screens of Capcom's PSP fighting game Street Fighter Zero 3 Double Upper. The game will have 37 playable characters, including characters from Street Fighter Zero 3, Capcom vs SNK 2 and Capcom Fighting Jam.
• Gundam Battle Tactics [PSP] - Here are some new screens of Bandai's PSP 3D tactical action game Gundam Battle Tactics, the game will be released in Japan on September 22, for 4800 yen. The game supports up to 4 players over WiFi connection.