Gears of War 2 by Epic Games for the Microsoft Xbox 360 has been confirmed in Italy. Or has it? We are on the verge of finding out as GDC 2007 awaits word on this in Microsoft's keynote. Will we lay witness to the sequel of this masterpiece? Let's all see together in the full article.

**THIRD UPDATE**: Gears of War 2 is finally a reality. Check out a few details as well as the debut trailer at the full article.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president and CEO David Reeves said that this summer,  they are expecting the PlayStation 3 to have a bigger user base than the Xbox 360 in every PAL territories.

Before you doubt Reeves' claims, he justified his statements with some pretty interesting data. Head on over to the full article for more information.

If you've ever wanted to play international hoops in a video game but couldn't find one that will offer such a thing, then worry no more. NBA Live 08 (also coming to the Xbox 360, Wii and PC) just sealed a licensing deal with world basketball governing body FIBA and international teams will be included in the mix.

The Play Now mode allows you to pit the world's best teams against any ballclub in the NBA, while the FIBA mode will have you battling it out in an 8-team tournament to determine which national squad has the right to be called world champions. This means you can take it to the rack using Manu Ginobili while Spurs teammate Tim Duncan tries to stop you. Can T-Mac shoot fadeaways over Yao Ming? We'll find out soon.

2006 World Championship winners Spain led by Memphis Grizzlies star Pau Gasal will be there as well as runners up Greece and USA, as well as France, Germany, Italy, Argentina and China.

The announcement adds to the already stellar list of new features such as the Go-To basketball gameplay, deep customization and management. Combine that with the trademark quality graphics and sound and the NBA Live dynasty just might go on well into the new age of digital sports.

  

With several new games added to the list, World Cyber Games 2007 for the U.S. may prove to be more exciting than ever. The U.S. Open will take place in New York City come June 2 - 3 at the Samsung Experience.

Those who can prove themselves will get automatic berths and top seeds for the WCG USA National Championship in September.  But before that, they'll get US$ 20,000 while players for eight certain games will be flying to Mexico for the WCG Pan-American championships; round trip and hotel accommodations all free of charge. The competitors will come from 10 different countries in North and South America, battling it out from June 22 - 24.

 

During the U.S. Open, both spectators and pro gamers alike are invited. WCG encourages it as an "Open", where everyone can play and stars are born. For gamers in the know, this is the chance for spotlight and professional gaming contracts. If you think you've got the competitive skills for the PC and Xbox 360 games they're offering, it's the perfect time to prove yourself.

The tournament will play in a "double elimination" format during the Open, while the individual finals will happen during the 2nd day. After that, champions from all over the world will fly to the last stop of their road to glory. The WCG Grand Final will be held in Seattle, Washington with more than 70 countries vying for gold.

WCG 2006 had 1.3 million competitors in its roster, while 24 million swarmed Monza, Italy to watch the action live. Don't forget, it might be very difficult to win the championships but it's always more important to have fun.

You want cars, eh? Alright, here's a full list of race cars that you'll get to ride in Microsoft Games Studios' Forza Motorsport 2. And no, these aren't mere demo cars. These are the real things.

How many are there revving your way? There's 300+ models list, so there's no need to push and shove and create a stampede over them cars. As the list is really extensive, we just wanna point out to you some of the more obvious superstars included, such as the Gulf Team McLaren F1 GTR, and of course, the "Forza Motorsport" sponsored Risi Competizione #62 Ferrari F430GT.

To get all 300 of 'em, check out the official Forza Motorsport 2 site by clicking on the Read link below. In the meantime, here's a big chunk of 'em:

Year Manufacturer Country Car/Race Team Race Class
2001 Audi Germany #4 Johansson Motorsport R8 R1
2002 Audi Germany #1 Infineon Audi R8 R1
2004 Audi Germany #88 Audi Sport UK Team Veloqx R8 R1
2004 Audi Germany #5 Audi Sport Japan Team Goh R8 R1
2006 Audi Germany #2 FSI Champion Racing R8 R1
2003 Bentley United Kingdom #7 Team Bentley Speed 8 R1
1999 BMW Motorsport Germany #15 BMW Motorsport V12 LMR R1
2002 Cadillac United States #6 Team Cadillac Northstar LMP-02 R1
1998 Ferrari Italy #12 Risi Competizione F333 SP R1
2003 Panoz United States #11 JML Team Panoz LMP-01 R1
1993 Peugeot France #3 Peugeot Talbot Sport 905 EVO 1C R1
1987 Porsche Germany #17 Racing Porsche AG 962c R1
1999 Toyota Japan #3 Toyota Motorsports GT-ONE TS020 R1
2004 Chevrolet United States #3 Corvette Racing C5.R R2
2006 Chevrolet United States #4 Corvette Racing C6.R R2

And there's more at Full Article!

The PS3 has been in Europe for less than a month and its titles are sitting on top of the charts. Resistance: Fall of Man took the top spot in Italy and Spain. Germany on the other hand was taken by storm by S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (both the normal and limited editions).

The three countries definitely have different gaming tastes with the exception of Insomniac's Resistance, Evolution's MotorStorm, Formula One Championship Edition, Virtua Tennis 3, and the PS2's Final Fantasy XII. Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars are surprisingly absent from the Spain and Germany charts even though it's a definite hit in the UK. Oh well, to each their own. Here's the complete list for Italy, Spain and Germany:

Italy (for week ending on April 1)

• Resistance: Fall of Man
• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2
• MotorStorm
• Formula One Championship Edition
• Final Fantasy XII
• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
• Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
• Virtua Tennis 3
• Ridge Racer 7
• Pro Evolution Soccer 6

Check out the charts for Spain and Germany after the jump!

Those of you who missed the Eragon movie sure missed a lot. But not to worry, cos now you have the chance to grab the Eragon movie over at Microsoft's Xbox Live. Uh... actually, it's not the full-length movie, per se. It's just the theme. (boo!!!) Oh well.

But it is free, after all. Actually, this theme is in celebration of the release of Eragon for the DVD. So, it's close enough. Anyhow, the theme, obviously, is inspired by the film and will be available in the following territories: Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland and United Kingdom.

The European Commission is set to introduce a list of common sanctions against retailers that sell violent video games to minors. Perhaps, what's good about this is that the Commission has decided to leave it to member states to identify which games will be considered "violent."

EUobserver reports that the EU justice and security commissioner, Franco Frattini, has told journalists last January 10 that he would file new and stricter rules governing the sale of video games to children below 16 before this year's summer break.

Reuters informs that Frattini had this to say: "I do want to harmonize rules punishing people illegally selling products, people not controlling and checking identity." Frattini does however stresses that the EU executive would abstain from suggesting which kind of material should be banned. He adds: "We cannot judge from Brussels which videogames should be prohibited. "

It can be recalled that last December, Frattini suggested that the Brussels' package could include new age restrictions on certain games as well as stronger, more effective, parental advisory warnings. The commissioner is confident with the proposal, especially since he has so far received support from eight EU countries – Germany, Britain, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Finland, France and Spain.

It has to be noted that this initiative comes after last November's incident in Germany, where Sebastian Bosse injured eleven students at his school before killing himself, and that retailers in most EU countries are not legally obliged to restrict the sale of adult classified products.

Why should we bother to know about these things? Because some people might get some bright ideas.

While it has been months since something was heard from the exploding car people, the crash dummies can not be forgotten easily as they always carry with them sweet, tender memories of childhood days now long gone. Sniff.

Not to despair though, Twelve Interactive and Schanz International Consultants (SIC) have some good news today regarding the newest reincarnation of the game, Crash Dummy V.S. The Evil D-Troit.

The Italy-based game developer is pleased to announce that the game has finally found publishing homes in the U.K. Yep, you read it right - homes. Plural. This is so since Crash Dummy is crashing (pun intended) not only on the PSP, but on the Wii, DS and the PC as well. SIC's Gerhard Schanz also mentions that negotiations between them and Microsoft are currently taking place. "We are also in discussions to put up the title on 360 live arcade," shares Schanz.

Accordingly, the PC version is licensed to Lexicon Entertainment while the other versions were welcomed by Oxygen Interactive Software LTD. Just a few information are known about Crash Dummy Vs The Evil D-Troit as of now and one of which is that it would be using Vicious Engine with it's built-in physics module.

The countdown to the WCG 2006 Final in Monza, Italy, will begin with the group draw that will be held on September 20. While over 1.25 million competitors from 70 participating countries are starting to shape down to an elite 700, the final stages are also being set for these cyber athletes to represent their country at the Finals this coming October.

The result of the group draw will be announced with live flash service through the official WCG website.

The tournament structure will consist of group full league and then single elimination tournaments until the final matches in each official game. The number of groups in group full league and the number of players in the single tournament will be decided depending on the final number of participants.

More specific information regarding the tournament structure and regulations of each official game for WCG 2006 Grand Final in Monza, Italy will be notified on the WCG official website.

No, we're not all violent introverted socially miscreants mister Jack Thompson. We're also seriously skilled professionals, who hone our abilities the best we can. If people who are bluffing, and betting, and gambling, and jeering, and crying, and lying at Texas Hold-em are considered "athletes". Why not us gamers?

Say what they will about gamers, about how socially dysfunctional we are. Say what they want about organized LAN tournaments, and how they're not "real" forms of competition. Gaming is here to stay. Gamers number in the millions. And the WCG is our world cup.

See you all in October.

Click "Full Article" to view the list of official games for the WCG 2006 Final.