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.

Hanks onboard for Da Vinchi prequel

Tom Hanks is in final talks to star in a Da Vinci Code prequel.
He is reported to be close to agreeing to return as Harvard professor Robert Langdon.
Ron Howard is also in final negotiations to direct Angels and Demons, according to the Hollywood Reporter.The Da Vinci Code has made a healthy $758 million at the box office.
Sources say the prequel, also based on a Dan Brown book, will start shooting as early as January.

China clamps down on online gaming

The Chinese government has clamped down on the amount of time youngsters can spend playing online games, according to the official news agency Xinhua.
Under-18s who play for more than three consecutive hours a day will have limits imposed on the amount of points they can score, the agency reported. Online game companies based in China have been given three months to install the so-called anti-addiction software. It is part of an on-going attempt to limit how long people are online. A recent report from the China National Children's Centre said that 13% of under-18s who used the web were addicted to online gaming. In the past several years gamers mostly from Korea and Asia have even died through marathon gaming sessions, some literally die of exhaustion after 72 hour sessions non stop.

Halo 3 Beta test confirmed

Halo 3, one of the most anticipated video games for the Xbox 360, will be released to the public in test, or beta, from 16 May. The online multi player element of the game will be made available to the public with feedback going to developers Bungie. More than 14.7m copies of Halo titles have been sold and more than 800m hours of online Halo games have been played. The beta will last for three weeks and ends on 7 June. Three multi player maps will be available - Snowbound, High Ground and Valhalla. Halo 3 is expected to be released in the last quarter of 2007 and is a key weapon for Microsoft in its rivalry with Sony and Nintendo. The game has become an important franchise for Microsoft and has evolved into an industry which encompasses action figures, graphics novels, books and clothes. On the website of Halo creators Bungie, content manager Frank O'Connor said the beta would contain "quirks, a couple of rough edges".
He added: "A lot of secret features are hidden in this beta. We're keeping a lot of our powder dry for Fall."

Gears of war updated

One week ago, Gears of War fans got in a tizzy when Epic Games vice president Mark Rein revealed that the game's next update was "almost here." Rein said the update was out of Epic's hands and in the final stages of Microsoft's certification process.
Today, Microsoft announced that it has given the update the thumbs up and will release it over Xbox Live Marketplace at 4 p.m. Not just a few tweaks to bugs, the update will add a new multiplayer mode called Annex. In Annex, two teams will battle to occupy key map locations like a standard King of the Hill or Domination match. Each map contains two to five key locations, and throughout the match the area to be controlled will move.
Also included in the update is VGA cable support, tweaks to the Boomshot and Hammer of Dawn weapons, and several bug and exploit fixes.
The update is free, unlike other Gears of War content that was recently revealed to be offered initially at a "reasonable price" before becoming free months down the line.

Spore release date TBC

Since it first wowed audiences at the 2005 Game Developers Conference, Spore has seen the buzz around it grow. Its expansive game play spans the entire history of life on a planet, from primordial prehistory to modern civilization. While it ends with the technological wonder of space travel, it also focuses heavily on biology, letting players create their own race of creatures and watch them evolve. Like Spore's subject creatures, its release date has undergone several stages of evolution. Initially, the game had no release date, and then it was tagged for a late-2006 launch. But when Electronic Arts, Spore's publisher, released its E3 roster this past May, the date had reverted to "TBC." At the moment the games release date is unknown but many web sites and Magazines predict a late 2007 release. With a game as potentially huge as Spore promises to be I reckon we may even see it slip back until early 2008.

Connery undecided on Indy 4

Actor Sir Sean Connery is still deciding whether to appear in the next Indiana Jones film, according to trade magazine Variety. Directors George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are hoping the 76-year-old will feature in the fourth instalment.
Sir Sean, who has not appeared in any films since 2003, has apparently said he would consider returning if he liked the script. Harrison Ford has already signed up to return as the daring archaeologist.

GTA4 Sparks controversy (already!)

Late last week, Rockstar Games showed its first trailer for its highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto IV. Though bare on gameplay details, the trailer did reveal one of the game's most asked questions--its setting.
Advertisements, store names, and other items in the simulated city read "Liberty City," the very same city featured in the controversial franchise's break-out hit Grand Theft Auto III and debut on the PlayStation Portable. The city's layout and character were influenced by New York City, and modeling each games' setting after a real-world city has become a bit of a tradition. Vice City from GTAIII's follow-up was a nod to Miami, Florida, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was set on turf reminiscent of Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
However, this new look at Liberty City featured some landmarks that look incredibly similar to places only found in New York (which is where Rockstar Games' US headquarters are located), such as the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Empire State Building.
While most gamers were excited about going on a virtual crime spree through a next-generation Liberty City, New York officials are already voicing their disdain for the game and saying the similarities are only cosmetic, reports the Associated Press.
"The mayor does not support any video game where you earn points for injuring or killing police officers," New York mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement. Are Rockstar taking a huge gamble with the setting or will the obvious outbreak of paranoia and screaming headlines of the press create tonnes of publicity just like the other games in the series. My moneys on the latter.

The best one liners in movie history!

Carry On tops one-liners
The Carry On gag "Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!" has been voted the funniest film one-liner.Kenneth Williams uttered the words as Julius Caesar in the 1964 romp Carry On Cleo.It was named the best one-liner in a poll of 1,000 comedians, industry figures and film fans by Sky Movies Comedy.
The rest of the top Top 10 was made up of:
"He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy." Terry Jones as Brian's mother - Life Of Brian (1979)
"Surely you can't be serious?" "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley." Leslie Nielsen as Dr Rumack - Airplane! (1980)
"Remember you're fighting for this woman's honour, which is probably more than she ever did." Groucho Marx as Rufus T Firefly - Duck Soup (1933)
"Don't knock masturbation. It's sex with someone I love." Woody Allen as Alvy Singer - Annie Hall (1977)
"Do you have a licence for your minkey?" Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau - The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)
"Is that, is that hair gel?" Cameron Diaz as Mary Jensen - There's Something About Mary (1998)
"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the War Room." Peter Sellers as President Merkin Muffley - Dr Strangelove (1963)
"Nice beaver!" "Thank you. I just had it stuffed." Leslie Nielsen as Lt Frank Drebin and Priscilla Presley as Jane Spencer - The Naked Gun (1988)
"When I met Mary I got that old-fashioned romantic feeling where I'd do anything to bone her." Jim Carrey as Lloyd Christmas - Dumb and Dumber (1994)

Fable 2 (360) preview

During a recent interview with gamespot.com Peter Moleyneux talked about how he wants Fable 2 to be something other than just "more" and "better" than the first game. "I set up Lionhead to innovate and push...that's why we exist. I hope that's why Microsoft acquired us," he said at one point, before talking about his most memorable moments in gaming (his favorite being the ending of Ico) and his desire to fill Fable 2 with equally affecting content. Not simply by penning an epic story, he wants to get you so emotionally invested in other characters that their happiness and pain become your own.
We've known for some time that one of Molyneux's goals for Fable 2 is to make you experience unconditional love, but at previous presentations, the only characters cited as examples were your offspring and, to a lesser extent, your husband or wife. The pet dog that was introduced during today's demo is, perhaps, a character that you're even more likely to bond with, because while your family will welcome you back with open arms when you return home from a quest, your dog will be fighting alongside you every step of the way.
Without wishing to give too much away, you'll acquire your pet dog (or it'll acquire you, at least) early on in your Fable 2 experience when you're still a child. Like you and your in-game family, he'll age as you progress through the game, and his appearance will change to reflect the way you're playing. If you play as a good guy, you might end up with a mutt that looks like a big, fluffy Old English sheepdog, for example, while those of you with a Molyneux-like mean streak will end up with a vicious-looking Doberman or something. Lionhead's self-imposed design rules when adding the dog to the game were that it must love you unconditionally, its presence must never aggravate you, and you must never be required to look after it. The game looks set to make good on the promises made about the first Fable title, whichto be fair was a slight disapointment after all that was promised. But hopefully with Fable 2 Lionhead will come through and blow the gaming publc away.

Ferrell film skates to top spot

Will Ferrell's figure skating comedy, Blades of Glory, has topped the US box office, early figures show.
The film, which follows two rival ice skaters who pair up as the first ever male figure skating duo, took $33m (£16.7m) in its first three days.
The figure is more than half of the film's $60m (£30m) budget.
Last week's number one, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie TMNT, slipped to fourth place while Disney's Meet The Robinsons entered at number two.

US/CANADA BOX OFFICE
1) Blades of Glory ($33m)
2) Meet The Robinsons ($25.1m)
3) 300 ($11.2m)
4) TNMT ($9.2m)
5) Wild Hogs ($8.4m)
6) Shooter ($8m)
7) Premonition ($5.1m)
8) The Last Mimzy ($4m)
9) The Hills Have Eyes ($3.9m)
10) Reign Over Me ($3.7m)
The Robinsons, which took $25.1m (£12.7m), centres on a nerdy orphan who is whisked away to a goofy futuristic world in a time machine.
Former number one 300 took third place, adding $11.2m (£5.68m) to its takings. It has now grossed $300m (£150m) worldwide.
Mr Bean claimed the top spot at the international box office,Disney's Wild Hogs completed the top five, slipping one place with $8.4m (£4.31m).
After a month where takings were up, the North American box office was down 13% from the same weekend last year, when animated comedy Ice Age: The Adventure was at number one.

Review Command and Conquer 3 (PC)

If you're a fan of the Command & Conquer series, three small words are bound to get you excited: Kane is back. Indeed, so are a good number of beloved series hallmarks, like a huge amount of full-motion video and intense strategic combat. But Tiberium Wars is a lot more than just lip service to franchise enthusiasts, and you don't need the rose-hued glasses of nostalgia to appreciate its polish and intensity. It's simply a superb game that's fun and exciting to play both online and off.
No matter which of the two main campaigns you start off with, you're rewarded with a whole lot of live-action video in between missions, featuring familiar actors getting hammy in near-future command centers. There's never been anything subtle about C&C's full-motion video, and, true to form, the campaigns are loaded with wonderfully overblown sequences filled with intrigue and suspense. Yes, Joe Kucan has returned as Nod figurehead Kane, and he's as irresistibly creepy as ever. He and other familiar actors serve up a heap of extravagant solemnity against a backdrop of flashing lights and important-looking video screens.
If you think it sounds over the top, you'd be right--but it's cheesy in the good way, and it won't take you long to get involved in the story and the characters that drive it. The narrative is structured well, with the Global Defense Initiative and Brotherhood of Nod campaigns telling the same story from opposing viewpoints. There's also a new player in the mix: the alien Scrin race. At this stage in the series, the mineral tiberium has propagated over most of the Earth, but it's more than just an environmental plight--it's a key to future technology. It'll take you a couple dozen hours to get through the campaigns, and just when you think you've finished, there are a few surprise missions in store, and they are well worth the time it takes to unlock them. There are also plenty of reasons to return to the campaign once you're done, since the game rewards you with medals based on your performance and tracks a good number of statistics for you to chew on.
Overall C&C 3 is a return to form for the series and bodes well for future releases. Go get it!
CGM score: 4/5

Review: Shivering Isles

This is the expansion pack to the Elder scrolls Oblivion and if you can put up with waiting for 3 hours to download the thing from Xbox live then this is for you. To be honest though it's well worth the wait as this expansion adds plenty of new quests, items and a whole land to explore.
The Shivering Isles is the home of the prince of madness Sheogorath, and he brings you to the isles to stop an apocalyptic event called the Greymarch. The Isles itself are amazing to look at and offer a far more alien and magical looking world to that of Cyrodil. The game offers an extra 30 hours of gameplay so with that added on to a game that offers well over a 100 hours is quite mind blowing. The voice acting of the characters is impressive a much better improvement than those found in Oblivion and some of the script is laugh out loud funny. Overall the shivring Isles is a great expansion adding plenty of new stuff to an already massive game. Definately worth waiting through the download time.
CGM Score: 4/5

PS3 banned from UK prisons

The home secretary John Reid has banned PS3s from being used in prisons as the home office feels they are a security risk and could allow inmates to get in contact with he outside world. The fears come from the PS3s built in wi-fi capability that can connect to the Internet and other consoles wirelessly. Ive a question, just what the hell are the home office playing at giving games consoles to prisoners there supposed to in jail suffering and atoning for there crimes not sitting in a comfy chair playing Grand theft auto!!

Turtles top the U.S

The mighty 300 has been knocked off the top of the U.S film charts following the release of the Teenage mutant ninja turtles movie (crap in a half shell). The film took $24.4 million on its opening weekend. 300 was pushed down to 2ND place, but seeing as the film has grossed more than $160 million in the States alone.
In third place is the action flick Bullet with $14.5 million, fourth is Wild Hogs with $14.3million, fifth is The last Mimzy with $10.2million and in sixth is the terrible (candidate for worst film of the year)Premonition which took $10.1 million taking a total of $32 million. Seriously who paid to watch that nonsense.