Now say it with me: “Hulk Smash!”

 

SEGA ANNOUNCES VOICE TALENT FOR THE INCREDIBLE HULK™

VIDEO GAME

 

SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON (April 9, 2008) - Marvel Entertainment, Inc., SEGA® of America, Inc and SEGA® Europe Ltd. today announced that all prominent cast members from the upcoming action-thriller from Universal Pictures and Marvel Studios, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, will also lend their voices and likeness to the video game of the same name, slated to release with the film in June 2008. Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, Tim Blake Nelson and William Hurt will all take part in the game as their respective characters. Based on the film and the popular comic book series created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, THE INCREDIBLE HULK™ is being developed by Edge of Reality and published by SEGA for next-generation consoles and the PC.

 

SEGA brings the film’s A-list actors to the game to create a more authentic experience. Edward Norton (Fight Club, The Italian Job, The Illusionist) plays scientist Bruce Banner, a man desperately seeking to rid himself of the unbridled force of rage within him: The Hulk. Liv Tyler (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Strangers) is Dr. Betty Ross, Banner’s love interest, while Tim Roth (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction) voices Emil Blonsky (alter ego of The Hulk’s archenemy, The Abomination). Tim Blake Nelson (Syriana, Meet the Fockers) portrays Dr. Samuel Sterns, and William Hurt (Into the Wild, The Village) plays General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, the man who wants to capture The Hulk and brutally exploit his power. 

 

Fast-paced and action-packed, the blockbuster franchise and comic book saga will unfold for the first time on next-generation platforms, as Banner scours the planet trying to find anything to help him fight his involuntary rage. Take the role of one of Marvel®’s most powerful Super Heroes in THE INCREDIBLE HULK™, an intensely realistic third-person action video game. Gamers can demolish anything in their path, including lampposts, passing cars and even buildings. The fury-fueled game also features key moments from the film, as well as additional plotlines and characters from THE INCREDIBLE HULK universe. Players crash through New York City, battling gigantic enemies amidst soaring skyscrapers in a massive open world.

 

Bourne Conspiracy release set

 

Sierra Entertainment today announced that the Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy™ video game will ship in North America June 3, 2008   on Microsoft’s Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system.  The game brings Jason Bourne’s signature combat style to life by sharply blending a seamless mix of hand-to-hand fighting, gunplay and dramatic escapes.  To round out the non-stop action to the title’s hunter-prey game play, The Bourne Conspiracy will give gamers a re-imagination of the high speed pursuit through Paris in the MINI COOPER®.

Through close partnership with Ludlum Entertainment, and collaboration on story and character development with Bourne screenwriter Tony Gilroy, The Bourne Conspiracy is an intense interactive addition to the blockbuster films and best-selling novels.  The game delivers an original story uncovering Jason Bourne’s past and the conspiracy shrouding his origins, plunging players into the role of Bourne as both trained assassin and marked government agent.  Core to the experience is Bourne’s definition as a perfect weapon with heightened combat instinct, where players use Bourne’s characteristic capabilities to recognize threats, perform devastating takedown moves and use his surrounding environment to overcome deadly situations.

“Wrought with action, combat, elaborate escape scenes and untold story, the Bourne series is making a natural progression into the interactive medium,” said Al Simone, senior vice president, global marketing, Sierra Entertainment. “We’re pleased to announce that this June gamers will have the chance to experience the dangerously exciting aura and frenetic pace inherent in the Bourne franchise.”

Developed by High Moon Studios and based around a combat system co-designed by Jeff Imada, the renowned choreographer who defined Bourne-style combat in the films, The Bourne Conspiracy delivers gamers every signature Jason Bourne element, from hand-to-hand fighting to shooting to escape and evasion.  Framing the experience is a relentless pace of action and an in-game camera system that captures the cinematography techniques that established the memorable visual style of the films.

Capturing the intense high-speed pursuit based on the memorable car chase from The Bourne Identity, players will take the wheel in an upgraded version of Marie’s red MINI COOPER trying to evade seemingly every police car in Paris.  Arcade racing-style game play and destructive stunt setups combine with Bourne instinct-based game mechanics to create a previously unseen and unforgettable action driving experience.

“We’re creating a video game that is distinctly Bourne, based on a deconstruction of the character from action hero to game hero, and one that we ultimately believe gamers will discover as a distinctively original licensed action game,” said Emmanuel Valdez, chief creative officer, High Moon Studios and game director on The Bourne Conspiracy.

For more information on the Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy video game, including screenshots and video trailers, please visit bournethegame.com.

First Impressions: Lost Odyssey

Five hours into Mistwalker’s new RPG for the Xbox 360, Lost Odyssey.  I am no stranger to the turn-based-combat system of traditional Japanese RPG’s. In fact, I’m a big fan of the concept. Perhaps that makes my impressions of Lost Odyssey a little biased. Okay, I’m biased. I like amazing games. So far, Lost Odyssey is proving to be the culmination of many wonderful things. Gorgeous graphics and art design, a solid and entertaining combat system, and a story of immense intrigue. 
In regards to the loading times mentioned in almost every review of Lost Odyssey, I’m finding myself baffled. Yes, the loading times are there, and yes they occur somewhat frequently. But I don’t recall much whining about the loading times in Oblivion, which seem to me to be just as long or longer and almost as frequent. The loading times in Lost Odyssey have done nothing to dampen my experience, or have they bugged me in the least. In fact, the opening of Lost Odyssey blessed me with a sense of gaming nirvana that I haven’t felt since the opening of Final Fantasy 7. That’s high praise indeed. 
Unless the game takes a dramatic downfall in later hours, I’m going on record as saying that Lost Odyssey has been severely underrated by a number of reviewers. Time will tell if it can maintain the brilliance demonstrated to me in the first five hours. I sure hope it does. Look for my full review soon.
-James Wilson 

Now Playing: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Oblivion never seems to get old. The fact that I have logged in over 150 hours and am still finding new things is testament to the hugeness of this game. It gives a perfect Epic Fantasy tickle up my spine every time I am trudging through these beautiful forests, slaying trolls or minotaurs, watching the breathtaking rising and setting of the sun. Oblivion is a beautiful, masterpiece of a game. Still one of the best of the new generation. I’ll be playing this game until Elder Scrolls V. And loving every bit of it. 

-James Wilson 

Caspian the friendly Prince

The good folks from Disney Interactive Studios sent along this brand-spanking-new trailer for the game based on The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Like the last game, this one was also created by Traveler’s Tales, the company best known for the Lego Star Wars games.

Take a look:

Dead Space: Animated

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) and Starz Media announced today the development of an animated movie prequel to the highly anticipated sci-fi survival horror game Dead Space™. The companies also have animation projects in development for two other EA franchises. The relationship kicks off with this Dead Space prelude that will deliver new details on the horrifying tale the game will unleash this Halloween.

The script for the Dead Space animated feature picks up the plot where the original comic book series ends and leads up to the beginning of the Dead Space game. The story focuses on the events aboard a futuristic mining spaceship, the USG Ishimura, after it pulls a mysterious artifact from a remote dig site. The artifact triggers the sudden invasion of a long-dormant alien presence, and the Ishimura’s crewmembers find themselves locked in a frantic struggle to survive. The animated feature is slated to premiere at the same time as the game is launched.

This project signals both companies’ belief that mass-appeal games provide opportunities for new and exciting programming in a variety of different media. This announcement comes at a time when the video game industry is valued at more than $30 billion worldwide for packaged goods, wireless and online games in calendar year 2007 and game-inspired entertainment is pervasive in movie theaters, on TV and across online media.

Starz Media is currently in discussions with broadcasters worldwide that have already expressed interest in airing Dead Space, which is scheduled to be released via broadcast TV and then on DVD. The company will launch international sales of the animated feature at the upcoming MIP-TV market in Cannes, France. Starz Media will also market the movie through its home entertainment company Anchor Bay Entertainment, as well as via online and wireless distributors.

The deal with Starz Media and its animation unit Film Roman reflects EA’s growing commitment to developing filmed entertainment projects based on the company’s games. For Film Roman, the venerable animation company behind “The Simpsons,” “King of the Hill” and the pre-school hit “Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!,” the booming video game business is fertile territory for developing new hit movies and series.

“Due to the richness and complexity of stories that have evolved for video games, they have become a type of entertainment that can span generations and provide fantastic inspiration for other forms of media; especially in the realm of animated features,” Film Roman President and COO Scott Greenberg said. “We’re particularly thrilled to be starting off with Dead Space.”

“We are really excited to be working with Film Roman to create an animated feature that will tell the portion of the Dead Space saga between the comic and game,” said Glen Schofield, Executive Producer for Dead Space. “With the video game, comic book and now animated movie, Dead Space has become a true multimedia brand. Each of these elements delivers the story to new audiences and tells it from different aspects and perspectives.”

Film Roman is producing “Dead Space” in alliance with Digital Tetra Inc., in Korea. The Gotham Group of Los Angeles, a leading animation representation company, helped put the production arrangement together.

Under development at EA Redwood Shores, Dead Space is not yet rated by PEGI or ESRB. For more information about the game, go to the website at www.deadspacegame.com.

Dark Sector’s Enemies

This week, D3 Publisher released these five looks at five major enemies from Dark Sector, and we present them all to you here…

Downey, Howard voice Iron Man game

SEGA® of America, Inc., SEGA Europe Ltd., and Marvel Entertainment, Inc. announced today that the Iron Man™ video game, based on the successful Marvel comic book series and the upcoming film by Marvel Studios, will feature the voice talents of Robert Downey Jr., Terence Howard and Shaun Toub. All three actors will reprise their onscreen roles of Tony Stark (Downey), Lt. Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Howard), and Yinsen (Toub). The Iron Man video game launches day and date with the blockbuster movie on May 2, 2008.

Iron Man, an explosive third-person action shooter game that pits one of the world’s most renowned Super Heroes against unspeakable odds, draws its story from the upcoming movie while also incorporating story elements from original Iron Man comic books. Using the advanced technology in Iron Man’s suits of armor, gamers can take advantage of the wide array of high-impact weapons to strategically annihilate any enemy force standing in their way. Before tackling stunning and immense open battlefields, players can customize their armor suit as they encounter progressively more vicious enemies, and fight in epic battles that could challenge even the toughest Super Heroes.

Iron Man is the story of Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and inventor who had it all. But during a routine weapons test in the Middle East, Stark was captured and forced to construct the ultimate weapon. Instead of following his captors’ demands, Tony built his own devastating weapon – a powerful suit of armor that provided the key to his heroic escape. From this point forward, Tony Stark became more than a man. He became Iron Man.

I am Iron Man

Sega’s trailer for Iron Man: The Game (based on the upcoming movie). I’ve got very high hopes for this one…

C&C begets Tiberium

EA’s trailer for Tiberium, the first person shooter based on the Command & Conquer universe: