Movie adaptations of video game franchises aren't exactly always welcomed warmly by the community, precisely because of the long string of disappointments in the adaptation history. However, buzzer-beating its way into this week's Weekend Warrior for the Xbox 360 is the report that Steven Spielberg himself wants in on the Halo movie. Sounds promising, for sure.

Spielberg dipping his hands into the golden Halo franchise? Not entirely surprising, and according to film site IESB, "solid and confirmed three times over with studio executives and close ties to CAA". That's right, the man behind the epic movies Jaws, E.T., Indiana Jones and Transformers would like to be a part of the Master Chiefs battles against the covenant, in the full glory of the big Silver.

Rumors have gone around that LMNO, Steven Spielberg's game in development, has kicked the bucket. Bought the farm. Checked out. Bit the dust. What have you.

Well... it's not true. The game is alive and well, pictured holding up today's newspaper.

Kotaku's Brian Ashcraft recently got a hold of Randy Pitchford, Gearbox Software's head honcho, as he talked about the various games the company was planning to release across the various platforms. Pitchford looked back on the company's Brothers in Arms series, as well as their upcoming shooter Borderlands. Also, he talked about their unprecedented adaptation of the Wii port to Dreamcast's rhythm game Samba de Amigo.

Check out what else Randy Pitchford had to say after the jump!

Prominent figures of the gaming industry such as Ken Levine, Peter Molyneux, and well-known director Steven Spielberg are gearing up to make waves at the Game Developers Conference 2008 scheduled in February at Moscone Center in San Fransisco. There will be sessions discussing topics such as storytelling in Bioshock (Xbox 360, PC), three spankin' new features added to EA LA's Fable 2, and the upcoming puzzle-video game Boom Blox for the Wii.

Big movies sell games. They may not necessarily be good games, but they sell. Some have chosen to avoid the genre altogether, choosing to stop buying video games based on movies. It spares them of potential heartache, but there are always exceptions to the rule.

Which of course begs the question: What movies have come and gone without getting themselves a video game?

And so the glass ceiling breaks. Just when everybody thought that Blu-Ray has finally won over the battle, a bomb drops in the form of two of biggest producers and distributors of filmed entertainment, Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation. The two major outfits have announced today that they will be supporting the HD DVD format - exclusively.

From their press release circulating the internet, they revealed that the decision "resulted from an extensive evaluation of current market offerings, which confirmed the clear benefits of HD DVD, particularly its market-ready technology and lower manufacturing costs." Titles like "Blades of Glory",  "Transformers" and "Shrek the Third" will be debuting in your home entertainment centers very soon via HD DVD.

Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures, Brad Grey, expounds on their decision:

The combination of Paramount and DreamWorks Animation brings a critical mass of current box office hits to consumers with a line-up of live action and animated films that are perfect for HD DVD... Part of our vision is to aggressively extend our movies beyond the theater, and deliver the quality and features that appeal to our audience. I believe HD DVD is not only the affordable high quality choice for consumers, but also the smart choice for Paramount.

The only exception to this whole exclusivity deal would be those films directed by Steven Spielberg. The renowned director's works are not exclusive to either the HD DVD or Blu-ray. Expect Paramount to send out new release day and dates, and catalog titles for your HD DVD viewing pleasure in the coming days.

It looks like the fight isn't over, then. Bring it on! (It's already been buhrought!)

Tip by whoelse, thanks!

Day 2 of the E3 Media and Business Summit seemed to be a more subdued affair compared to the events of the first day. As you guys will notice below in our daily recap, many of the news tidbits we covered for the day had more to do with the release of new assets for already announced games, along with a trickle of new information, screens and/or video for the newly announced games, such as Nintendo's Wii Fit fitness training program.

For some rather important news, you'll be able to find details on Ubisoft and Take-Two Interactive's E3 2007 briefing details, as well as look at more of the redesigned PSP in all of its slim glory. For our E3 first-look articles, you'll be able to take a gander at the first screens and info regarding Steven Spielberg's Project PQRS, as well as an exciting new dungeon addition to Blizzard's World of Warcraft: Zul'Aman. We also have tons of new screenshots and videos for everything from God of War: Chains of Olympus to Soul Calibur 4, so check our links below to savor more gaming goodness.

We're hard at work updating the site with more info so you don't miss a thing. While you wait for the latest 24/7 coverage of E3 2007, feel free to check our current coverage of day 2 of the summit, as well as our roundup of day 1. Enjoy!

Breaking News:

More images, comparison pics of the redesigned PSP
Take-Two E3 2007 Briefing details
Ubisoft E3 2007 Conference details

All the latest updates after the jump!

While Steven Spielberg remains tight-lipped about his upcoming projects in the gaming industry, he's not above giving gamers a few teaser code-names. Teaming up with Electronic Arts, Spielberg has been developing at least three original titles over the past year. Recently, he gave away some hints as to the nature of his games.

First up is a game code-named PQRS, an action-puzzle-simulator that Spielberg claims would allow you to manipulate virtual blocks with the Wiimote as "if it were an extension of your hand". Tagged as a family title, this one is set to come out exclusive to the Wii and is probably the "Wii Spielberg" title hinted to come out before April of 2008.

Spielberg also mentioned a video game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 code-named LMNO. In the game, we'll be playing the part of an ex-secret agent on the run - which really isn't so original. The story becomes interesting when you add a girl with special abilities into the mix. The interactions you have with the girl will determine the nature of the abilities and how she will assist you in the game. "The challenge is, can the game have an emotional impact on players while they are actively manipulating the world?" Spielberg asks. Reportedly, their heroine comes with highly expressive facial gestures and translucent skin that lights up similar to a mood ring so the answer might be a definite: YES (or at least from this writer's point of view).

With Spielberg's talent for storytelling and creative ideas for mechanics, EA might be on to a good thing. It wouldn't hurt to set aside a few bucks for when these games come out.

 

Electronic Arts Los Angeles gives more details to the new things being brought out by this installment to the C&C series, through an interview by FiringSquad. They were able to get hold of EALA VP Mike Verdu and Xbox 360 version senior producer Michael Glosecki to serve out what's latest in the game's developments.

First and foremost, Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars was supposed to be another Red Alert installment - or at least that's what was originally planned. The decision to go back to the original Tiberium universe was basically a no-brainer: they were very fond of the first C&C universe created. They have three generations of C&C fans working on the game, so it is bound to be a fan-filled production (get it? fan-filled? no? well anyway...).

So the game goes back to its roots, announcing the return of our favorite bald-headed megalomaniac Kane to renew the conflict between the Global Defense Initiative and the Brotherhood of Nod. This time around, the war revolves around either controlling Tiberium or destroying it. The game itself will also include an alien race, and this is where the real fun begins.

The aliens are called the Scrin, and they invade Earth in the middle of the 38-mission single player story. This introduces us to a whole new concept to a Cinderella story: at first the alien units are pretty weak, but when upgraded (with a fairy god mother, you know the drift), they are the most powerful in the game.

With tripod walkers with three individual beam turrets (err...Steven Spielberg might have a fit), carriers with fighters (okay, now Blizzard will have a fit) and a mothership for a superweapon (don't worry, Will Smith will take care of it), the Scrin will undoubtedly enter a whole new twist to the story, and EALA promises it will present a "tremendous third act reversal" for the story.