David Gardner, chief operating officer of games publishing giant Electronic Arts, has lashed out at the games industry for "failing women" at a conference in Edinburgh. Gardner said "We have all been talking about this for a long, long time." EA's own research has found that 40% of teenage girls played video games versus 90% of teenage boys and most girls lost interest in games within a year.

He also said that women are somewhat an undiscovered market and that if EA cracked the problem they "could add a billion dollars to its sales." Mr Gardner said one of the biggest problems was that the content aimed at women gamers was not appealing. "They don't want 'pink games. Thy are not trying to play girly games where Paris Hilton and Britney Spears go shopping and put make-up on. Those kind of things have not been that successful."

As you may know, Sony have just announced the Pink PSP and PS2 for European gamers. If EA's David Gardner is correct, their new move into the female gaming market will fail. If EA's figures are correct, this undiscovered market could double the gaming economy, boosting sales for all. Let's see how Sony's pink additions to their console line-up go when they are released; the PSP in October and PS2 in November.

We've all been waiting for more news and details about the Battlfield: Bad Company game of DIGITAL Illusions EC. So far, all that we know about it is that it will be available both for PS3 and Xbox 360, and promises the best single-player game in the series. Of course, there will also be multiplayer modes. To remove any lingering confusion, Battlefield: Bad Company has absolutely nothing to do with the shooter Battlefield 2142.

So, there really isn't much of an update from its developer, DIEC, or from its editor, EA. But what we DO have are new screenshots to allow us a peak as to what's coming our way once its North America release pushes through come spring of 2007.

Yeah, they do want us to ask for more, don't they?

The trailer got fans excited. But now some are ready to tackle EA over reported bugs in the new Madden NFL 07. According to online reports, Madden NFL 07 for the Xbox 360 is filled with bugs that might tick off some people.

Most games have bugs. It just turns out that some bugs are less noticeable than others, and with Madden NFL 07, there's one bug that's obvious and affects gameplay. The football players in the game are supposed to fatigue from green to yellow to red, but the players keep on running and tackling and running and they're still in the green. Is everybody a Hall-of-Famer?

David Ortiz of EA said that this is a real bug but a fix is on the way. Actually, the players are fatiguing, he says. It's just that the user interface isn't showing it. He says the fix will be delivered as a patch to the game at around the same time as the release.

Fans are divided. A few are actively flaming Madden-related posts, a few express outrage that EA could let such a big bug escape, and others are taking this opportunity to bash the Xbox 360 (the PS3 version doesn't seem to have the bug).

Still, many are just glad that a fix is on the way. Hey, it is next-generation football for a next generation-console; the bugs could have definitely been worse. And despite all the negative hype (and it could all just have been overhyped), Madden fans may still be able to look forward to a fun game for the Xbox 360.

If the Unreal Engine 3 is a drug it would be something that could cure Cancer; that's how revolutionary it is. So it's not quite surprising for Electronic Arts to expect great things to their games in terms of graphics with this technology in hand.

In the effort of making games look and move better, EA has announced that they have licensed the ultra eye-candy Unreal Engine 3. They plan to put this gaming breakthrough to work as soon as they can. So far there have been no mention as to what games will be the first one to "go under the knife." Imagine you'll be seeing Lebron's sweat in NBA Live 2008, Gimli's swishing beard as he beheads an Uruk-Hai, and the sun shining off the NASCAR Cars under the noon sun.

Will this enhance the way we play our games? We will see improvements in a few months, until then enjoy this shot from an Unreal Engine 3-based graphic.

Battlefield 2: Modern Combat is a staple in the top Xbox Live Games for who knows how long. However, the release of an all new Battlefield title called Battlefield 2: Bad Company, could spell the end BFMC's reign.

EA hasn't released any juicy details on the game yet, much less a release date; however they did say that they are hoping to improve the single player campaign and deliver high standards of online action once more. The September issue of Game Informer also reveals what DICE's plans are for the multiplayer support for the game. They stressed that this is definitely not a renamed version of the PC title Battlefield 2142.

Battlefield: Bad Company is not only available for the Xbox 360 but to the PLAYSTATION 3 as well. Some gamers are reporting that this will come out some time Spring of 2007, with fully destructible environments and four main characters for players to use.

Thanks so much to Hummer for the tip!

Don't you think all these games are starting to look alike? Oh look. It's a guy with a gun. Big whoop. How original. And the game title? Has the word "army" in it. Whatever.

But when you take a closer look at EA's Army of Two for the Xbox 360 and for the PS3 (for 2007)...
Spectacular lighting, bloom, shadows, flares and all that. The models are detailed, the structure of the figures look realistic, and when you think about the capabilities of the next-gen consoles, you might actually be excited.

And when you consider it in action...
The gameplay makes this game stand out (just a bit) from all the other "guys running around with guns" that are out there. It's not a terribly new concept (uh, "2 player" was already old during the heyday of the Capcom classics). But thanks to advancements in next-gen console hardware and better development software, it promises seamless two-player cooperative gameplay (if you don't have anybody to play with, the AI will take the role of your partner).

So, because EA's Army of Two deserves points for looking nice and for making an effort to push the envelope of modern gameplaying, here are some more screenshots:

   
   
  

Gamespot managed to participate in an exclusive Xbox 360 hands-on of The Godfather, and surprisingly enough, this game does look better since the last time we've seen it. The character models are a lot more defined, and even the interior designs have been enhanced. Although this game is far from perfect, the developers seem to be putting some more work into the Xbox 360 version. Aside from the visual improvements, 360 owners can look forward to persistent facial damage, dynamic weather effects, more side missions, and plenty of new vehicles as well. Best of all, EA plans to release downloadable content over the Xbox Live Marketplace, so we have a lot to look forward to this time around.

Microsoft's just released an update to the Xbox 360's retail sales figures along with a forecast for the current fiscal year. The company expects to ship more than 10 million Xbox 360 consoles and a library of 160 games by the time the holidays roll around. By the end of their fiscal year in June 2007, 13-15 million consoles are forecasted to be shipped worldwide.

Microsoft also gave out some info on peripherals and game sales. The Xbox 360's accessory attach rate held steady for the 4th month in a row at 2.9 accessory units sold per console. Meanwhile, software attach rate rose to 4.6 games per console this month. All the preceding info are based on this month's NPD Group data.

The Xbox 360 also had 4 of the 10 top selling titles across consoles:

• NCAA Football 07 (EA)
• Prey (Take 2)
• Chromehounds (Sega)
• Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 2 (EA)
  

Some pretty impressive numbers right there. If this keeps up, Microsoft will definitely have an edge over its competitors in the holiday sales wars. Speaking of which, you might want to check out an earlier article where Microsoft declares that they will own Christmas.

The newest issue of German Magazine "Play" has new screenshots of EA's upcoming coop blockbuster Army Of Two, and even at this scan quality you can see how nicely the game is turning out; just check out the lighting effects and greatly detailed models. Here's hoping that the game actually will be good in terms of gameplay - being EA's first original property on next-gen hardware, there's quite a chance for it.

If you didn't know about it, Army Of Two puts gamers into hot spots ripped from current day headlines where they will utilize unique double team strategies and tactics. It's all about the team work, so coordinating with your partner will be essential. Should there be no one available to occupy the other controller, the AI will seamlessly jump in and hopefully do a decent job of replacing a human player.

  

  

A brand spanking new trailer for NBA Live 07 as been released today by games publishing giant Electronic Arts. The trailer is the first video footage of NBA 07 that you can find on QJ, with previous coverage only in the form of screenshots. It appears that Electronic Arts have been a little more revealing of NBA 07 recently with a huge update of information on the game released only yesterday.

I must say, this trailer looks phenomenal. Although previous screenshots of this game have shown the graphical perfection that EA can achieve, it just doesn't live up to all the hype until you see the trailer. Also, with this games almost religious following and the power of the Xbox 360, EA have shown just what you can do with a bit of elbow grease. Sure there's alot of work to be done with EA still working on the gameplay engine, but this is almost certain to score a 3-pointer when it hits the shelves next year.

Download: [NBA Live 07 Trailer]