Eidos is the latest company to announce their gaming lineup for this year's E3, which will include the latest game in the Tomb Raider franchise, and Just Cause 2. More details are available in the full article.

People say Jane Cavanagh, the founder of the SCi Entertainment Group, has just released the company's 2007 annual report where they revealed that sequels to the Tomb Raider, Hitman, and some of their other IPs are in development. There's an uneasy air surrounding its emergence, however, since SCi's own investors called for the ousting of Cavanagh a few months ago. To find out more, head on over to the full article.

It looks like Lara finally has a daddy to come home to. Warner Bros Home Entertainment recently subscribed up to £15 million (US$ 30 million) new shares in the company and announced a new strategic partnership with the house behind the Tomb Raider series. For more details regarding this, read our full article after the jump.

Worried about the possibility of video game violence tainting the minds of children, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy came up with a "do not buy" list of violent video games.

Contrary to what most might expect, Rockstar Games' controversial Manhunt 2 (Wii, Sony PlayStation Portable) isn't the number one violent video game, but Grand Theft Auto is. Check out the Top Ten list in the full article.

 Ubisoft Montreal had a lot of things to say about Assassin's Creed (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3) that made us hunger for more. Innovative controls, amazing visuals, big and immersive cities, top notch art direction, you name it. The much anticipated action game finally appears on shelves, and we jumped at it without a second thought. We played it for hours on end, and here's our verdict.

Another great game from Epic Games is releasing an album for its soundtrack: Unreal Tournament 3 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC). The soundtrack is compiled into a 2-disc set and features over 150 minutes worth of tracks, including re-mixed music from previous Unreal Tournament games.

The soundtrack will be released on November 20.

Responding to rumors that the movie adaptation for Hitman would be losing its director, Xavier Gens, Variety has let out the word that he is still "on board." According to the grapevine, the first version of the movie was too violent and editor Nicholas De Toth was brought in to provide a tamer version.

Although De Toth was hired as a "consultant," there is still some speculation as to whether he or Gens has the final say on the final version of the movie. De Toth also held the same position for the movie Live Free or Die Hard. Incidentally both movies are from Fox.

At any rate, the movie is still going out with a solid R rating so even if the violence was watered down at least we know it still has a kick. Besides, it might not be in the studio's best interests to try and release the movie with anything less than an R rating when the game itself is rated M.

Eidos apparently believes that Kane & Lynch: Dead Men has the potential to replicate the success of Hitman. According to MCV UK, SCi CEO Jane Cavanagh revealed even though the game hasn't been released yet, a sequel is already in production.

"We've already got Kane & Lynch 2 in production, which just goes to show the belief we have in it as a long-term franchise", Cavanagh said. Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) is being developed by IO Interactive, the same studio behind the successful Hitman series.

Eidos is also reportedly pumping a lot of money behind the marketing drive for Kane and Lynch: Dead Men. According to reports from MCV, Eidos is dishing out more money into the game's marketing than it did for any game in the Tomb Raider series.


Buy: [Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (PC)]
Buy: [Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (PS3)]

In the 2007 Edinburgh Interactive Festival, Eidos Product Acquisitions director Ian Livingstone observed that gaming was still significantly behind movies and comics in terms of character "recognizability". This led him to say that the gaming industry "needs more Lara Crofts."

GameSpot narrates that in Livingstone's presentation at the aforementioned shindig, he presented the audience images of popular movie and comic characters first, then went on to flash pictures of iconic game personalities. The result: movie and comic book characters were easier to recognize for the crowd.

The Eidos bigwig then goes on to ask, "If we all work in the games industry, what does that say?" And then he went on to answer that same question by saying that developers need to establish more character in their games.

Livingstone discussed some key elements which can make a character linger in the psyche of gamers. One of the most important, he says, is the name. ""With a name like 'Darth Vader,' you know he's not going to be nice," he says. "Now 'Jar Jar Binks,' he's going to be much more fun."

Livingstone also pointed out that a distinctive look always helps. He cited their character Agent 47 from the popular Hitman series and revealed that the bald head with the bar code at the base often fascinated their audience, giving the character more life than others.

Finally, he says there are catch phrases. These are amazingly cool and original lines that will help people identify with a given character. Much like in a movie, people will find it hard to forget a particular line that hits close to home.

 

Because we can't get enough even after E3 have passed, here is IO Interactive's package full of Kane & Lynch: Dead Men goodies. We've got new info, screens, and packshots that will hit Europe.

From the makers of the much successful Hitman franchise comes a tale of two guys, mismatched by destiny to tag along for a ride. The game promises to be a tense and unpredictable experience, as a flawed mercenary and a medicated psychopath join up to encounter all sorts of trouble. Players can play as Kane in single player mode, and either character during two-player co-op.

Mayhem can break out anywhere, even in places where you least expect it - crowded nightclubs, peaceful banks, you name it. Other crazy elements are thrown into the mix, like rappelling from buildings, making strategic moves such as offering cover fire or launching surprise attacks, and other fun stuff to do in a third-person game. You won't be alone with your crew giving a hand, and ordering them around is intuitive and very easy.

Also offered are innovative multiplayer levels that would raise the bar outside playing with a single friend. Up to eight people can hook up to make up a crew loaded with guns and bad ass.

Screens and packshots after the jump!