Home field advantage

Electronic Arts EA SPORTS Label announced the addition of a Home Field Advantage feature to its upcoming NCAA Football 09 today. Players will be able to shake the confidence of opposing teams using this new feature. As the home crowd intensity picks up, visiting players will find it tougher to make adjustments for plays and squiggly lines will replace their on-field routes. The more shaken the opposing player gets, the harsher the effects.

Along with Home Field Advantage, NCAA Football 09 will include something called Dynamic Attendance. Players that pull together winning seasons will find their fans flocking to the stadium, and even travel where the team goes while on the road. If players string together consecutive losses though, they'll start to find that the normally faithful fans aren't sticking around.

Finally, one other new feature EA is adding this year affects the game's outcome if the game is about to be determined by a field goal. Ice the Kicker allows you to call a timeout before your opponent kicks, putting on added pressure via a lower camera angle, heartbeat audio, controller rumble and an all new “iced” kick meter.

NCAA Football 09 is currently scheduled to release across North America on July 15 ^th on PSP, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii.

Mmmm, Ice Cream

St. Catherines, Ontario-based casual video games developer Cerebral Vortex Games announced the release of its latest management game yesterday. Ice Cream Dee-Lites is now available for download to PC. Help Dee realize her dream career working at Scoops, serving the tastiest ice cream around. Starting with the Chill Mobile ice cream truck, players must help Dee serve ice cream cones, yogurt and milkshakes to a variety of customers as quickly as possibly to earn cash for shop upgrades. Help her climb to the top of the frozen dessert industry.

" Ice Cream Dee-Lites is the casual game with the cherry on top," said Jason MacIsaac, Design Director at Cerebral Vortex Games. "We have lots of great features. Unlike similar games, Dee can carry more than one object. There are tons of upgrades, from faster ice cream machines to tasty toppings like syrups and sprinkles."

The game features over 60 missions, spanning four distinct ice cream stores, customization and upgrade options for Dee and her machines that improve her productivity, Scoop and Sweet level mission goals for beginner and advanced players, plus a Story mode and Endless mode. The game also includes a cast of 16 characters, including the Sweet Little Girl, the impatient Brat, the handy-capable Royce Rolls and ChocoTron, the giant chocolate-craving robot.

"We have the craziest characters and excellent music too," added Michael Sauro, Art Director for Cerebral Vortex Games, whose team created the distinctive "Modernized Retro" look of Ice Cream Dee-Lites . Ice Cream Dee-Lites is available for download from Big Fish Games for Windows-based PCs. To learn more about Cerebral Vortex Games go to www.cerebralvortexgames.com.

SimCity Creator coming to DS and Wii

Electronic Arts' The Sims Label announced the first details for its Nintendo DS and Wii exclusive SimCity Creator today. SimCity Creator will be an open-ended and highly creative game that allows players to utilize the distinctive gameplay control aspects of the two Nintendo systems to create, enjoy and even destroy epic cities. EA is saying the game will be the most accessible and light-hearted game from the SimCity franchise, and it will be available in North America on September 22 ^nd , as well as in Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions on September 19 ^th .

More details for each version follows:

SimCity Creator for Wii

Be a powerful mayor -- create, enjoy and destroy your ultimate city. Start by zoning your city, constructing homes, businesses, factories, skyscrapers, freeways, railroads, and much more. SimCity Creator is a visually exciting experience with a completely new user interface, designed specifically for the Wii and the Wii remote. You’ll discover many ways to customize your city, including 13 city styles to explore, such as American, European and Asian themes. More city styles will be revealed, so stay tuned for more information!

You can also place a selection of more than 30 “Hero” buildings into your city to make it distinctive and momentous. Some of these iconic buildings are based on the current day, some on history and some on fantasy. The more city styles you explore, the more Hero building options you have.

For the first time, take the liberty to build transportation systems with free placement of rounded and curved roads and rail lines, taking your city to new creative and curvy heights. And get a new perspective on your cityscape from a helicopter, a jet or a propeller plane which you can use to fly over your creation. Check out what you’ve built in your aircraft of choice!

Disasters that players of SimCity always love remain an important and entertaining element in SimCity Creator. Using the Wii remote you can create earthquakes, tornados, call in destructive robots and monsters, create fires and discover many more ways to cause havoc. You created it, and now you can destroy it. With hours of fun and replayability, the fate of your city and its citizens are in your hands!

SimCity Creator for Nintendo DS

Guide your city from ancient times into the future with SimCity Creator f or Nintendo DS. Evolve your city through time, starting with ancient times, the middle ages, modern times, present day and the future. Four play modes are available, Challenge, Free Play, Chance Encounter and Gallery, giving options to make the game as challenging or as creative as you want. Earn epic landmarks along the way to enhance your city and mark your progress into the next era. Choose your path through history and make a city for the ages.

“ SimCity Creator for the Wii and Nintendo DS brings two separate, delightful new ways to create, enjoy and destroy your own cities,” said Rod Humble, Head of Studio for The Sims Label. “On the Wii, for the first time in the SimCity franchise, you will have the ability to build curved roads and differently shaped zones allowing you to make more authentic places all utilizing the motions of the Wii remote. Employing the new city advisor system, you will be able to make the game as complex or simple as you want. On Nintendo DS, we will give you the ability to make a city develop through time and to overcome the different challenges each era of urban development presents. I know both long-time and new SimCity players will enjoy these innovative experiences in SimCity Creator starting this September!”

BioShock coming to PS3

For those of you who didn't see the Penny Arcade comic or any other news bit exposing this news last week, 2K Games officially announced yesterday that its 2007 Xbox 360 and Games for Windows PC critically acclaimed first-person shooter BioShock is coming to Playstation 3 this year. The game is being retooled for Playstation 3, including new features and content.

“ Since BioShock for Xbox 360 and Games for Windows won countless 2007 Game of the Year awards, we are excited to see the impact of this stellar title for the Playstation 3 system when it debuts this fall,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “Over the coming months we look forward to revealing the new features and content that will make this a must-have game for its new audience, as well as for those who enjoyed it on the other platforms.”

BioShock is scheduled to release for Playstation 3 this October and has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

Ubisoft announces Shaun White Snowboarding

Yesterday, Ubisoft announced that it is currently developing a new snowboarding game that it says will “break all former action sports video game notions and redefine the action sports genre”. Shaun White Snowboarding is currently being developed for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 and Windows-based PCs, using the Assassin's Creed engine, and is being developed from the ground up for Wii to include integration with the Wii Balance Board. The game is being developed in close collaboration with Olympic Gold Medalist and eight-time X Games Gold Medalist, Shaun White.

" Shaun White Snowboarding will turn all of the traditional ideas and experiences of past action sports titles upside down," said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ubisoft. “The combination of Ubisoft’s innovation approach and the influence of Shaun’s lifestyle and perspective make this gaming experience like no other.”

More details for each version of the game follows:

Key Features of Shaun White Snowboarding for Xbox 360, the PLAYSTATION 3 system, and Windows-based PC:

• Open World Mountains: Choose how you ride in open-world mountains across the world. Conquer extreme peak conditions, create your own paths in the back country, or compete with fellow riders in the terrain parks.

• Your Friends Are Always Around: Play in a world where your friends are always around. Do your own runs on mountains populated by real gamers, or join your friends for a quick session from any mountain.

• More than Just Snowboarding: Have fun with your friends on and off the board! Throw snowballs, hike to access secret spots, film your friends doing ripping tricks. You can also upload your videos online to share with the world.

• Ride Your Way: Express yourself through tricks, riding styles, and highly customizable avatars – both in single-player and in the online world. Use the intuitive dual analog control to pull off a huge variety of tricks that express your style.

• Next-Gen Technology: Built on the Assassin's Creed engine, this game creates a massive world with gorgeous visuals and realistic NPC interactions. This is also the first time a snowboarding game is completely driven by physics instead of animation.

• Authentic Snowboarding: Ubisoft has worked closely with Shaun White to infuse the gaming experience with authenticity, personality and humor. Shaun is a friend and mentor in the game, and will help you with your skills. And, if you are deemed worthy, you may even be able to play as Shaun in the game …

Key features of Shaun White Snowboarding for the Wii system:

• Exclusive storyline: Everybody loves a road trip! You and your crew travel the world to participate in a variety of the largest and craziest events to become a world-renowned athlete. Life on the road to success wouldn’t be the same without the support of your friends, who will always be there to help you out and keep your head on your shoulders. Stand together with your friends – both in the game and in the living room – and you will be able to conquer the madness that fame brings.

• Go on a globetrotting adventure with Shaun White as your partner – Ubisoft worked in close contact with Shaun White in order to infuse the experience with the most authentic elements of his riding style, personality and sense of humor. Shaun will act as a good-natured friend and mentor to the player, hooking him up with the right friends to conquer challenges together, introduce him to new locales, or simply be around to share in a laugh.

Wii Balance Board Integration – Get yourself into the game like never before by using the Wii Balance Board to control your rider. Control your carves, jumps and grinds with the intuitiveness and fun of having a snowboard in your own living room.

• Everyone plays, no one waits – Engage in a seamlessly integrated multiplayer experience for two to four players, where every player is active in the game at all times.

• Get together your crew – In the world of snowboarding, it pays to have friends on your side. Your crew of friends will always be there to help you by offering you unique abilities to improve both your riding and keeping you grounded with friendly pranks; filming all the antics along the way.

• Fame and Respect – Getting your name out there by doing well as a pro snowboarder is bound to get you some recognition. As your fame grows, so too does your ability to take on bigger and bigger challenges, from new mountains to more prestigious events and competitions. Fame, however, isn’t everything. You’ll need to gain your friends’ respect by riding with style in order to gain their support; they will help you find hidden areas, share their favorite music tracks and keep you laughing.

Shaun White Snowboarding is currently scheduled to release during the 2008 holiday season for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Windows-based PCs and Wii.

Playstation Store update

Here is this week's Playstation Store update.

Rock Band

Build your Rock Band library by purchasing these song game tracks. For song credits, visit www.RockBand.com.
The Cars Album ($14.99 USD and CAD) - This album includes All Mixed Up , Bye Bye Love , Don’t Cha Stop , Good Times Roll , I’m in Touch with Your World , Just What I Needed , Moving in Stereo , My Best Friend’s Girl , and You’re All I’ve Got Tonight by The Cars. Tracks available individually for $1.99 USD/CAD each.
File sizes: 26.6 MB - 41.9 MB (singles), 288 MB (album)

Rock Band price promotion: Gimme Three Steps - Lynyrd Skynyrd and Dirty Little Secret - All-American Rejects are reduced to $0.99 USD/CAD until June 5th.

Game Videos (free)

Top Spin 3 Debut Trailer

Download the official trailer for Top Spin 3 and prepare to be fully immersed in the fun, action packed excitement of tennis like never before.
File size: 92 MB (1080)

Battlefield: Bad Company Dev Diary – Characters

Join Patrick Bach, the Single player Producer, as he walks you through the process of creating interactive, funny, and exciting characters in Battlefield: Bad Company .
File size: 164 MB (HD)

Battlefield: Bad Company Sweetwater’s Blog

Private Sweetwater isn’t one to laugh in the face of danger. In fact, he’d rather find a good cave to hide in, but in B-Company, he’s faced with dangerous situations every day! See how he’s holding up as he talks to his loyal video blog subscribers.
File size: 92 MB (HD)

Dead Space Animated Comic Issue #1

Explore the horror on Aegis 7 as it unravels through an animated version of the first Dead Space comic created by Ben Templesmith and Antony Johnston.
File size: 210 MB (1080)

Project Origin Teaser Trailer

In the highly-anticipated sequel to the hit game F.E.A.R , Alma, a girl with immense power and a thirst for revenge, has unleashed her wrath upon the city of Auburn and thrown it into chaos.
File size: 159 MB (HD)

Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars Projectile Dysfunction

Experience the ultimate team-and mission-based multiplayer warfare, defined by award winning Return to Castle Wolfenstein Multiplayer, now set in the legendary QUAKE universe.
File size: 75 MB (HD)

Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars Human Juicer Video

Experience the ultimate team-and mission-based multiplayer warfare, defined by award winning Return to Castle Wolfenstein Multiplayer, now set in the legendary QUAKE universe.
File size: 70 MB (HD)

Movie and Blu-ray Disc Trailers (free)

Enchanted

For princess-to-be Giselle, life is a fairy tale – until she’s banished from the animated land of Andalasia and thrust into the very unmagical, live-action world of modern day Manhattan.
File size: 249 MB (1080)

No Country for Old Men

When a man stumbles on a bloody crime scene and two million dollars in cash, his decision to take the money sets off an unstoppable chain reaction of violence.
File size: 167 MB (1080)

PS3 Wallpaper (free)

Prince of Persia Prodigy Arabesque Wallpaper

Customize the background of your PS3 system with this new Prince of Persia Prodigy Arabesque Wallpaper.
File size: 135 KB - 410 KB

Prince of Persia Prodigy New Prince Wallpaper

Customize the background of your PS3 system with this new Prince of Persia Prodigy New Prince Wallpaper.
File size: 268 KB - 1.27 MB