NEWS...

• An Original Xbox Designer Talks 360 - Peter Moore talks to the folks over at Spong.com about what it was like to make the original Xbox, and how those lessons now translate into work on the 360
• Dynasty Warriors 5 confirmed for Xbox 360 - Koei has announced that the Xbox 360 will get an enhanced version of Dynasty Warriors 5 late this year - coinciding with the current-gen releases on Xbox & PS2. The game will officially be called, Dynasty Warriors 5 Special, but it is not yet known what has been added to the next-gen version besides a visual upgrade and the possibility of more on-screen combatants. The game is set to be unveiled at the Tokyo Game Show in September.
• Sega soccer sim to kick around Xbox 360 - Sega Europe and Sports Interactive today announced the Xbox 360 debut of their well-received soccer management series. Scheduled for release in Europe next spring, Football Manager 2006 will feature hundreds of divisions across 50 countries, not to mention 250,000 players and staff.
• EA promises Fight Night 3 Xbox 360/PS2 Identical - EA's footage of Fight Night: Round 3 during the E3'05 Playstation3 unveiling added a few points to the Sony camp in the intensifying battle, however a recent interview featured in the US gaming magazine, Game Informer, suggests that the Xbox360 version should match the same quality and unable to spot differences.
• 1up analyzes the state of the PSP - The Official PlayStation Magazine (via 1up) has a written a fairly thorough piece on why the PSP sales figures were less than expected. It's a good reading, discussing the lack of original high-quality games and its overall cost. The big question, which is of interest, is how the PSP will hold once Sony releases its next ultra-powerful (and likely ultra-pricey) console. Of course, none of this factors in the homebrew scene, and the ability to play emulated games on the PSP (which has been, admittedly, set back due to the firmware 2.0 upgrade). How do you feel about the future of the Sony PSP?
• Sony's U.S. Firmware 2.0 Update Delayed - The firmware update that was planned for this week for all U.S. PSP owners has been pushed back to sometime next week. The new update will be available on Monday 15th from here. As reported the japanese firmware 2.0 version is working also on US Sony PSPs.
• Sony hints at PSP upgrades - In the most recent issue of Famitsu magazine, SCE software platform development chief Izumi Kawanishi dropped some hints about what might be in store for future PSP firmware upgrades. Kawanishi would like to add a streaming video function to the Web browser, so that users won't have to bother downloading videos to their memory cards. In addition, there are plans to include Digital Rights Management functions that will allow for downloads/streams of paid content.
• GPX2 - PSP2 killer? - Korean company Gamepark is making plans to release a new version of their handheld console. The previous one (the GP32) had some loyal followers but in the end didn't succeed on a big scale. The new version seems to have a lot of PSP features and most of them a bit better than Sony's machine
• The Hidden Boot Code of the Xbox - In order to lock out both copied games as well as homebrew software, including the GNU/Linux operating system, Microsoft built a chain of trust on the Xbox reaching from the hardware to the execution of game code, in order to avoid the infiltration of code that has not been authorized by Microsoft. The link between hardware and software in this chain of trust is the hidden "MCPX" boot ROM. The principles, the implementations and the security vulnerabilities of this 512 bytes ROM will be discussed in this article.
• Masters Of Horror Trailer - A new trailer can be found on the official website.
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire preview trailer - The footage gives a pretty good idea what to expect from the Tri-Wizard Tournament, including lots of scenes of Harry fighting the dragon, plus there are brief glimpses of Hogwarts' new Professor of the Dark Arts, Mad-Eye Moody, as played by Brendan Gleeson, and Harry's new love interest Cho Chang.

REVIEWS

• PS2: Brian Lara International Cricket 2005 (8/10) / Cold Fear (4/5) / Darkwatch (7.6/10) / Darkwatch (4/5) / EyeToy: Play 2 (3.5/5) / EyeToy: Play 2 (7.7/10) / EyeToy: Play 2 (7.8/10) / Flipnic: Ultimate Pinball (6/10) / Graffiti Kingdom (8/10) / Medal of Honor: European Assault (7.9/10) / Suzuki TT Superbikes (6.1/10)

• Xbox: Dark Watch (7.9/10) / Destroy All Humans! (4/5) / Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack (91%) / Halo 2 Map Pack (B) / Halo 2 Map Pack (9.3/10) /  / Madden NFL 06 (8/10) / NCAA Football 2006 (9.5/10) / Sid Meiers Pirates! (7/10)
• Gamecube: Geist (7.8/10) / Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life (8.3/10) / Killer 7 (3/5) / Madden NFL 06 (9/10)
• PSP: Death Jr. (7/10) / Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition (6.8/10) / MLB (8.2/10)
• NDS: Madden NFL 06 (6/10)

PREVIEWS

• Blitz: The League preview [Xbox] - Blitz: The League will attempt to fuel its campaign mode with the storylines and drama of writer Peter Egen made famous in the short-lived ESPN program "Playmakers." This is the stuff that's supposed to make gamers give a damn about the events that unfold in Blitz: The League and so we paid close attention to the off-the-field elements that will drive that part of the game.
• Fullmetal Alchemist 3: Import Playtest [PS2] -When America got the original Fullmetal Alchemist, Japan had just received the sequel. Now, as America gets the sequel, Japanese players are working through the third entry, which has been released to coincide with a new film based off the series.
• Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows - video Interview [Xbox] - GameSpot has put up a video interview with a Midway developer who tells us what's in store for the four heroes of 'Gauntlet' in 'Seven Sorrows'.
• Midway Arcade Treasures 3 [multi] -Slated for a September 26 release on PS2, Xbox, GC and PC, this latest collection of oldies but goodies combines a slew of coin-op standards along with some beloved console favorites from developer Digital Eclipse/GameStar. Gamers who yearn for simpler times can dig into Midway's library of games with hits (and a few misses) including Badlands, Hydro Thunder, Off Road Thunder: Mud, Sweat 'N Gears, Race Drivin', San Francisco Rush The Rock: Alcatraz Edition, San Francisco Rush 2049, S.T.U.N. Runner, and Super Off Road & Bonus Tracks Pack.
• Shadow of the Colossus [PS2] - Shadow of the Colossus is the tale of a young man who takes his departed love to a temple and asks for her life to be restored. The temple has the power, but first, the young man must kill 16 colossi. He has a horse for transportation, and he is armed with a magical sword that will show him the way to his targets.

MEDIA... 

• PS3 Trailer Blowout - Devil May Cry 4 (Action | Capcom) / EA Sports Fight Night Round 3 (Sports | Electronic Arts) / Eyedentify (Adventure | Sony) / Fifth Phantom Saga (Shooter | Sonic Team) / Formula One PS3 (Racing | Sony) / Heavenly Sword (Action | Ninja Theory) / Killing Day (Shooter | Ubisoft) / Killzone PS3 (Shooter | Guerilla Games) / Mobile Suit Gundam (Action | Bandai) / MotorStorm (Racing | Evolution Studios) / Ni-Oh (Action | KOEI) / Tekken PS3 (Fighting | Namco) / Vision GT (Racing | Polyphony Digital) / Warhawk PS3 (Action | Incognito)
• Xbox 360 trailers - ton of clips from upcoming titles
• 187 Ride or Die Video Interviews [Xbox] - Ubisoft has released two new movies that focus on the contribution of actors Larenz Tate and Noel Gugliemi in the making of 187 Ride or Die.
• NBA LIVE 06 Media [Xbox]- Electronic Arts has released a new trailer and screens of NBA LIVE 06, the latest installment in the EA SPORTS NBA LIVE series.
• Saint's Row [Xbox 360] -  GamersNL has posted some new screenshots of Saint's Row for Xbox 360.
• The Warriors gameplay clips [PS2] - Rockstar has released two more gameplay clips of The Warriors, taking a look at two gang members in action.
• Bleach: Heat the Soul 2 [PSP] - Here are some new images of Sony's PSP anime fighting game Bleach: Heat the Soul 2, the game will have a new group battle mode and 5 additional characters from the anime.