The first content for the zombie-slasher Dead Rising is already on the Marketplace in the US. Although Europe has to wait until September 8 for the release of the game, America already is busy playing the game, and killing them zombies in all kinds of ways! Good news though, the content is totally free. We're talking about the following things:

• Miami Nights Key: Clothes
• Casual Key: Clothes
• Weekender Key: Clothes
• Round Shades: Clothes
• Burgundy Wine Key: Clothes
• Grandpa Key: Clothes
• Pink Paparazzi Key: Clothes
• Man In Black Key: Clothes

The 108KB files will give you a key in your inventory, so you'll be able to unlock the items. The clothing was already in the game, but with the key you can just unlock it. This basically means that Americans that want to slay zombies as a grandpa can make their dreams come true with this free update. Once again, Europe (that's me), will have to wait an extra month.

The game CellFactor, in which you play a soldier called Dante Aligheiri who has command over a small tactical unit called G.U.A.R.D., underwent a tiny change of title. The game will be called CellFactor: Revolution starting today. Aside from this name change developer Immersion Software & Graphics also released 4 new screenshots today.

CellFactor: Revolution, known for its use of the alleged revolutionary AGEIA PhysX chip, is planned for release in the end of this year for Xbox 360 and PC. We've got you covered with more information as it's released.

 

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick told a bunch of analysts that the popular content packs for the shooter Call of Duty 2 on the Xbox Live Marketplace generated about one million dollars for the company. There have been two content packs released; one that was priced at 5 bucks and the other one 10. The first one sold 105,000 times, and the second one 66,000 times. Do the math.

According to Activision this is "a critical first step in exploiting online revenue potential and extending the shelf life of our games." I say those content packs are good and all, but it separates the users if the new maps become the popular ones. And some people don't buy it because it's simply too expensive.

Although many content for almost all online games has been released, Activision is the first one to hit the one million mark. Some companies, like Bethesda, haven't released any figures (yet) though.

That's right dear people. Today Atari announced the official pricing of their upcoming driving game MMO for the Xbox 360; Test Drive Unlimited. Oh, and it will only retail at forty bucks ($39.95USD to be exact). They also told us that there will be lots of car packs on the Marketplace within six months after launch of the game and that they're aiming for one pack every month.

"Innovation should be available to everyone, not a privilege for those can afford high price tags," said Bruno Bonnell, CEO of Atari. "Our GamersFirst program demonstrated the positive impact of flexibility in pricing. We believe it is our mission to deliver triple-A games that are accessible to the masses. As such, we are offering Test Drive Unlimited - a game that is being positively touted and recognized by the media - for $39.95, and furthermore, will continue users' experiences past launch by featuring new cars and free music for download."

Test Drive Unlimited's monthly car packs will feature a mixture of manufacturers and models of vehicles (cars and bikes). Each downloaded car pack will also include a free radio station. Radio stations will be set according to genres, such as Rock, Blues, Electronic, R&B, Jazz, Latin, etc., and feature between 10-20 songs.

 

We've already reported before that that horror-author Clive Barker is working closely with Codemasters to develop an all new action game called Clive Barker's Jericho. Today Codemasters released an official press release containing more info about the game, along with it came some interesting images.

The game is all about the strange city Jericho that suddenly appears is an abandoned desert. Inside the big city resides an evil ghost that has zoned Earth as its target. As a player you'll control an elite Special Forces team that has to break through the city's walls. The thing is, between every wall is another timezone/era. That way you'll travel from modern warfare to WWI, and from that to the middle ages.

The game will appear on the PC, 360 and PS3 in the autumn of 2007.

We have here eighteen fresh screenshots for World Snooker Championship 2007 (also known as World Pool Championship). As you may know, the snooker game will be released not only on the Xbox 360, but also on the PlayStation 3; and these screenshots apply to both the platforms. In this game you'll be able to create your very own player or choose one of the real professionals and compete in licensed tournaments and locations.

Apart from the standard career and challenge mode, the game will also sport a mode called "The Golden Cue Mode", in which you have to test your versatility, by competing with other professional players to either eight or nine-ball. There are other types of game styles but those are the only ones in the Golden Cue mode. Those other modes include the World Trickshot Championship, in which you can show off your pool tricks.

Offline you can play with up to two players, but it's not announced or reported yet if the game will have Live support, although I doubt it won't. No release date has been divulged.

   
   
   
  

Electronic Arts announced today that the release date of Need for Speed Carbon will be November 10, 2006, on all consoles (the complete list of platforms below). Developed by EA Black Box in Vancouver, British Columbia, Need for Speed Carbon is EA's next game in the series that will combine Underground and Most Wanted gameplay. The game will be available for the 360, PS3, PS2, Xbox, GameCube, DS, PSP, GBA and PC.

This the first time a Need for Speed game is set in an actual city or location from the real world - Carbon Canyon in California. Another unique thing about this game compared to the other games in the series is that your teammates will have unique characteristics and will help you bring those pesky enemies off the road. All their skills will be very important during the canyon races, especially ramming them off the road.

The sensational zombie-slasher from Capcom for the Xbox 360, Dead Rising, will not appear in Germany. Apparently the USK, the people who test the appropriateness of games, didn't like the way you can hack, slash, kill and maim the zombies. This is especially odd because a number of years ago the same group did approve the infamous game Carmageddon, in which you had to drive over people for points (although human pedestrians were replaced by zombies in the German version).

Censorship like that has been applied many times before on violent games in Germany, so the USK have most likely raised the bar on their standards when it comes to violent content. In a way it's pointless to ban the game from the shelves, because the people who really want to play this will just order it online or make a trip to their neighboring countries (Netherlands for example). Somehow I doubt that Capcom wants to replace their zombies with robots, it would ruin the whole game short of a rename to Dead Rebooting.

Dead Rising is scheduled for release on September 15 this year, but since the game has been delayed many times before we can't be sure of this. This will be an Xbox 360 exclusive.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is not very pleased with Ubisoft's upcoming first person shooter Rainbow Six: Vegas, which is set in, yes, Las Vegas. "It could be harmful economically, and it may be something that's not entitled to free speech (protection)," Goodman said. Like in all previous Rainbow Six games, you have to disarm terrorists and arrest them with your elite counter-terrorist team.

According to the city's Mayor the scenario is inaccurate and unrealistic because Las Vegas is "the safest place imaginable" after the Sept. 11 attacks. He says he will try to stop the release of the game, partly because people might not come to Las Vegas anymore (on holiday apparently) after playing or seeing the game. The game is set to release somewhere in November for PC, PS3 and 360. Ubisoft picked Las Vegas for their game because of the famous and recognizable locations the city has, giving them the opportunity to show the real power of the next-gen consoles.

Personally I don't see why this could cause any controversy, because so many games have used popular world locations for their games, without any political issues. Perhaps Mayor Goodman is trying to grab headlines?

There hasn't been a lot of Test Drive Unlimited news lately. Sure, some new cars have been announced for Atari's upcoming game, but that's pretty much it. What do we even know about this title? Well for starters, it's going to be released for not only the Xbox 360, but also for the PS2, PSP and PC later on (these are 360 screenshots). You can earn credits for your player even if you play offline, and that's a very handy feature. There will also be 33 car types and 6 bike brands, all with several models.

You'll be able to customize your rides obviously, and race them with other people online. There will also be tournaments held between different clubs (guilds, basically). The 360 version will be released on September 8 this year.

The screenshots show some interface and menu stuff, as well as some new cars. Enjoy!