Prepare to command and conquer on 360

Last week, Electronic Arts revealed what many gamers were anticipating--a demo of the Xbox 360 edition of Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars was in the works. Today, the publisher pulled the curtain back on the demo and released it to the public over Xbox Live Marketplace.
The file weighs in at 1GB, which apparently has clogged some Internet pipes and made downloading fairly sluggish. Though EA hasn't come forward to explain what is in the demo, message board users have. The file allegedly features a pair of single-player missions, a tutorial, and Xbox Live multiplayer support. The Xbox 360 version of Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars is scheduled for release on May 10. If the 360 version is the same as the PC version (reviewed earlier this month) then 360 users should be in for a treat. Prepare for epic online battles via xbox live and wage war with gamers from across the globe. I can hardly wait.

Tarantino up for Canne award

Quentin Tarantino and Gus Van Sant are among the directors vying for the top prize at the 60th Cannes Film Festival. Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai, who headed last year's Cannes jury, is also in the running with his first English language film, My Blueberry Nights.
The prestigious event has unveiled the line-up ahead of its opening on 16 May.
Tarantino's Death Proof, half of his double bill Grind house, and Van Sant's Paranoid Park join 20 other entries in competition for the Palme d'Or.

Prince of Persia movie 2008?

Another video game series is being eyed for a film adaptation franchise, this time the Prince of Persia games from Ubisoft. The game has taken off in recent years with at least 3 recent sequels and become a huge hit for Ubisoft. The series has been in discussion for a while with Disney, since Hollywood mogul Jerry Bruckheimer bought the rights in 2004. The Jim Hill Media blog talked about it briefly, stating that “in theory Prince of Persia will be Disney's big action-adventure release for the Summer of 2008.” Which afterwards “could then lead to a new hit series of movies for the studio.”Although nothing is officially confirmed for a 2008 release, it does sound like the project is moving along and they're waiting to use the Prince of Persia series as the new successor to Pirates of the Caribbean. Little is known as to whether the movie will follow the games storyline ( I for one would like to see that as the story for the game was pretty good) and lets hope the films director doesnt take the same route with the persian prince as has been done to the Resident Evil series of movies. (i.e crappified). Rumours abound that Michael Bay will take the directors chair and after his transformers film it'll be interesting to see what direction he decides to take. Lets hope there will be a decent movie of a game for once.

Gere burnt

Angry crowds in several Indian cities burned effigies of Richard Gere, a day after he swept up Celebrity Big Brother winner Shilpa Shetty in his arms and kissed her several times during an Aids-awareness event. In Mumbai, members of the right-wing Hindu nationalist group Shiv Sena set fire to glamour shots of Shetty and beat burning effigies of Gere with sticks.
Similar protests broke out in other cities, including Varanasi, Hinduism's holiest city, and in the northern town of Meerut, where crowds chanted "Down with Shilpa Shetty."
In a country where sex and public displays of affection are largely taboo, photographs of Gere embracing Shetty and kissing her on the cheek were printed on newspapers' front pages.
The two appeared at a press conference on Sunday in New Delhi to highlight the HIV and Aids epidemic among India's truck drivers. In front of a cheering crowd, Gere kissed Shetty on the hand, then kissed her on both cheeks before embracing her to kiss her more. If this is all it takes for these people to riot then they really need to lighten up, their crazy!

Release list

The biggest and best titles scheduled for released this week.

Final Fantasy III (DS)Some 17 years after it was released in Japan, final fantasists get the chance to complete their back catalogue at long last. With a total overhaul to match the DS’s capabilities rather than a simple graphical update, it is certain to be an enrapturing experience.

FEAR - First Encounter Assault and Reconnaissance (PS3)A solid port of one of the best FPS’ doing the rounds at the moment, which kept us nervously clutching the pad throughout. Exclusives for the PS3 version include an extra mission, some new multi player maps and a very tasty rapid fire shotgun. Sweet.

Diddy Kong Racing DS (DS)Remastered from the classic N64 title of the same name, this colourful racer has more than enough substance to hold its own against the likes of Mario Kart. Pumped with new characters, four new tracks and a sparkling six person multi player – this is all you’ll need for weeks.

Also out this week:Aces of War (PSP) Ancient Wars - Sparta (PC)Dawn Of Magic (PC)Exit 2 (PSP)Final Fantasy V (GBA)Free Running (PS2/ PSP)Gurumin (PSP)Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (PC)Red Star (PS2)Stacked (PC) World Championship Poker 2 (PS2/PC)Zendoku (PSP/DS)
Coming Soon (27 April 2007)Burnout Dominator (PSP)Buzz: The Mega Quiz (PS2)Coded Arms Contagion (PSP)Dancing Stage Super Nova (PS2)Dead Head Fred (PSP)Death Junior 2 - Root of Evil (PSP)Demon Chaos (PS2)Driver - Parallel Lines (PC)Earthworm Jim (PSP)Frontlines - Fuel of War (Xbox 360)God of War II (PS2)Mercury Meltdown Revolution (Wii)Monster Madness - Battle for Suburbia (Xbox 360/PC)NBA 2K7 (PS3)Playwize Poker and Casino (PSP)Pocket Pool (PSP)Rainbow Six Vegas (PSP/PS3)SingStar Pop Hits (PS2)Shin Megami Tensei - Devil Summoner - Kuzunoha Raido vs. The Soulless Army (PS2)The Cube (PSP)The Elder Scrolls - Oblivion (PS3)The Godfather - The Dons Edition (PS3)Top Trumps - Horrors and Predators (PS2/DS/PC)Valkyrie Profile - Lenneth (PSP)World Series of Poker - Tournament Champions (PC)Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2007 (DS)

Sonys online dream

(Article from the BBC website)
Sony is hoping to replicate the success of social networks and Second Life with a feature called Home. Playstation 3 gamers will be able to meet, chat and share content with friends inside a 3D universe.
"It's about community, collaboration and customisation," said Sony's Phil Harrison at the Game Developers Conference, in San Francisco.
Gamers can buy furniture and clothes, while publishers and retailers are also expected to offer 3D spaces. Mr Harrison said the games industry had to learn from the success of the web 2.0 movement This is not just about Sony brands and Sony games - it's a much wider network of connected spaces "We want to start a movement called Game 3.0. It's about emerging entertainment, powered by the audience at the centre of the experience."
Home is similar to Second Life, the popular 3D universe for PCs and Macs. Gamers can create avatars - online versions of themselves - and buy new clothes and create their own homes.
Mr Harrison described Home as a 3D social networking service.
Dynamic advertising - including high definition video - can be pushed into the 3D universe.
The service launches in the autumn and Sony hopes it will answer critics who feel the firm has been overtaken by Microsoft in the online gaming arena.