TNA: iMPACT!: Debut Trailer HD

See the first-ever footage of this upcoming grappler, TNA: iMPACT!, in development for the PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360, and Wii by Midway Games. Enjoy the video.

[Via GameTrailers]

Capcom Files Trademark: Dark Void

If you've been curious about the tease "Prepare Yourself" in the Capcom website and you're wondering what it is, QJ.net spotted something in the USPTO site that might shed more light on this mystery. It's an application for the trademark "Dark Void" by the Japanese developer/publisher.

No clues as to which platform Dark Void will land on either. The only thing we can really do at this point is wait. When we find out more, we will let you know.

[Via QJ.net]

Italy: PLAYSTATION 3 Chocolate Event

An e-mail was sent from SCE Italy documenting a marketing stunt that occurred today in Perugia, Italy, during "Eurochocolate", a kermesse dedicated to everything chocolate.

For the occasion, Sony arranged a pile of 150 PlayStation 3 made of chocolate and a huge SIXAXIS made of chocolate as well. It seems like it was quite an event, wish I was there, I want chocoloate.

[Via NeoGAF]

Grand Theft Auto IV: New Images

Four new Grand Theft Auto IV images appeared on GTA4.TV today (now one of my favorite sites to visit), and they have Niko checking you out. View the images above and below.

[Via GTA4.TV]

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Free Download Oct. 24th

Big news from the world of Gran Turismo. With the Tokyo Motor Show only a week away, Sony is already prepping for a huge unveiling on October 24th. There are rumors around what Sony could possibly be revealing, but for now the more important news at hand is the fact that GT5 Prologue will be a downloadable demo as of October 20th. That's right, a free download. That explains why Gran Turismo HD was removed from the PlayStation store on September 30th.

Chances are that this is the same demo shown at Tokyo Game Show (TGS). Most of you who didn't attent TGS will be able to see calendar and other functions in the new Prologue. If that's the case and the Prologue demo is the same one shown at the video game show last month, this upcoming download should feature Alfa Romeos, Nissans, Ferarris and other vehicles, a total of 16, as well as three tracks, Suzuka, Fuji and Daytona.

The October 24th downloadable demo of Prologue should hold fans over long enough until the December 13th release of Gran Turismo Prologue. Pricing will be set at 4,980 Yen for the Blu-Ray disc and 4,500 as a straight download. If it's only four bucks, give us the disc; we don't want a download that costs as much as a full game.

[Via GTChannel]

Unreal Tournament III: Preview Demo From GameSpot

Here is an Unreal Tournament III Preview with plenty of gameplay for you to enjoy and weap over. It also states the PLAYSTATION 3 version isn't far behind the PC version. Hopefully we can still expect a 2007 release.

[Via GameTrailers]

The Sun: This Is Living Advertisement

The latest distribution of The Sun, a newspaper in the United Kingdom, displays this two page ad for the PLAYSTATION 3 "This is Living" campaign.

It's good to see Sony start to advertise again, as that is one thing that they are lacking.

[Via PS3Forums]

MegaTV: Korea Launch This November

According to The Korea Times, Korea's big telecom operator KT will provide its HD Mega TV service to PS3s starting this November. Since Mega TV is already IPTV based, the PLAYSTATION 3 could be considered a set top replacement, with a potential monthly savings on box rentals that could subsidize the game machine in a sweet way over the course of a few years.

KT is excited about the potential of working with Sony's platform through the future, promising, "We will seek more cooperation with SCEK to create synergy." Hopefully it's pretty good and US services will follow.

[Via Gizmodo]

onAXIS: NBA 2K8 Review

A few days ago, we received NBA 2K8 from Rocket XL for review on the site. And we've played the game, enjoyed our experience and have a review. Let's start.

Last year, 2K Games released NBA 2K7, a great sports game that got many good reviews. So what do you think they brought us this year? A remake of last years game with different menus and rosters? Sure they included that, but the answer is no. This year, they brought us a game with many new features, game modes, and great music.

To start off, we have the classic Quick Play game mode, which is probably in every sports game to date. When you start up the game, after signing into the network, your automatically at the Quick Play screen. Quick Play is the same as always, pick a team, play the team, win or lose, there is no harm done to you. There are plenty of other game modes to enjoy though.

Among these game modes are The Association, Season, Playoffs, Rookie Challenge, Practice, and Situation. Trust me, those aren't even the half of it.

The Association is a season mode based around a calendar. You don't have to play every game on the calendar, you can advance through the dates and skip a game, but that may hurt you at times. If you don't want to play that game, you can always simulate it, but you never know what the outcome may be. If you want to play the whole association, you need to be big on basketball, and have a lot of patience. The Season is just like The Association, except with out any contractors, were not a big fan of these two to tell the truth.

The Playoffs is better known as a Tournament mode. You pick a team from the pair ups they give you, and you basically ball for the win. After you win, you move up the charts, to get the final game. Win that, and the Playoffs are yours.

In the Rookie Challenge mode, you play as a T-Mobile sponsored rookie team. Then we have the Practice mode, this is just what it sounds like, practice. If your trying to learn how to play, then come here. Last, there is the Situation game mode, where you set up positions, time-outs and what not to comeback for a huge game ending win.

Remember when I said "those aren't even the half of it"? Well, we have more. NBA 2K8 sports something they have never done before in their previous versions, and it's called NBA Blacktop.

NBA Blacktop is basically a mini-version of NBA Street inside of NBA 2K8. When you click it's option in the menu, instead of bringing you into a sub menu like the others, it will bring you onto a new street customized screen full of dutty style.

In NBA Blacktop, we have a Dunk Contest, Pickup Games, a 3PT Shootout, a Game of 21, and Dunk School. This section of the game happens to be my favorite as I'm a street sort of person.

The Dunk Contest was something never before seen in an NBA 2K game. It's sponsored by Sprite, so you can expect to see some Lemon Lime everywhere. In this mode, you can set up props, like cars, benches, and such to show how high you can really dunk. The score is based on a 100 point scale, most I've ever got was 90 sadly. If you really know how to customize your dunks, you can get higher than me. This mode was a great new feature to this game that I was looking forward too and it satisfied me. They could of made it a little bit better though. Close to perfection.

The Pick-Up games are your basic street "want to join my team?" games. You pick up players to join your team, and play it out. It can be played online or offline on the PLAYSTATION Network. Your team size can range from 1 on 1 to a 5 on 5 game.

Then we have your classic 3PT shootout. Your basically playing Around the World in this mode, except if you miss, you keep going. You get 5-6 shots per round, when your done the spot your in, the player moves to the next spot and begins his shootout from there. The only big problem in this mode is the shooting accuracy, there doesn't seem to be a scale to perfect your shots, just a flick of the right analog stick.

Then we have the Game of 21, which is another of my favorite modes. Those of you who ball in real life know the game by the name of Utah. It's a 3 man game with everyman for himself, if you get the ball in, you get a free throw, and you keep free throwing till you miss. This mode was a great implement and I enjoy it a lot.

Last but not least, the place you go before you dunk, and thats Dunk School. There is no real teacher in Dunk School, refer to this mode as Dunk Practice instead. If you want to perfect your dunking skills, come here, practice with objects, and such.

There are many features in the game, not worth going to much into detail though. There is My NBA, which shows your game sliders, the VIP Viewer, Trophy Viewer, which do whats stated in their titles, 2K Beats & Reelmaker which let you customize tracks and videos of your game, then there is Codes, which let you cheat in the game.

The graphics of 2K8 are pretty good compared to it's counterpart, NBA Live 08. It has a slight advantage over Live with graphics. They are beautifully rendered at 60FPS, so they have to be good.

The soundtrack of this game (which was in-game, and also mailed to me) consists of mainly rap and hip-hop. It contains music from the likes of Run DMC, Common, and such. If your a hip-hop fan, you won't mind this music a bit, you'll enjoy it.

All in all, NBA 2K8 was a great experience and I'm honored I got to review it. Whether you like to stay street, or like to stay in the season, NBA 2K8 is a basketball game for all types of basketball fans. 2K Games did a good job attracting a big crowd, and this title is a sure buy out of it's other two competitors.

Presentation: 8.0
NBA 2K8 brings the looks of basketball to a newer level with the new Blacktop mode included in the game.

Gameplay: 8.4
As if you thought it wouldn't get better than what we seen in NBA 2K7. The gameplay is solid, but there are a few glitches.

Graphics: 8.8
Graphics look great, and more frames are being used than in NBA Live 08.

Audio: 9.0
The soundtrack for the game features the likes of Talib Kweli, Run DMC, and all your favorite hip-hop artists.

Replayability: 8.5
It's not that hard to pick up a basketball game when some friends are over and get into a game.

Final Verdict: 8.4 out of 10

By Design: The Orange Box

Half-Life 2: The Orange Box is a heck of a packing job. Combining one of the most essential and engrossing single-player campaigns of all time, stylish and unorthodox online content, and a totally unique space-bending puzzle, it asks one price for three elements lesser studios might've been happy to let stand on their own. It's quite an achievement, but it wouldn't have been possible without the members of three distinctly talented teams. So GameSpot thought they'd introduce them and see if they can tell GameSpot what went into The Orange Box, aside from so many great hours of gameplay.

Read the interviews at the link below.

[Read: By Design: The Orange Box]

Call of Duty 4: Demo Gameplay Video

Almost 5 minutes of the first gameplay taken from a full-feature PC demo of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the upcoming action first-person shooter for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC set in modern day warfare. Developed by Infinity Ward, CoD 4 will be published by Activision on November 5th, 2007.

[Via GamePlanets]

PSMania: Dark Cloud 3 Coming Exclusively for PLAYSTATION 3?

In the latest magazine scan for PSMania, an Italian PlayStation magazine, their rumor mill reveals some interesting things, where you see the Dark Cloud 2 image, it states:

"Uno dei nostri infiltrati, ci ha rivelato che Level 5 sta lavorando a un nuovo Dark Cloud esclusivamente per la PlayStation 3. Questo titolo uscira il Marzo 2009, e sara sviluppato usando una nuova tecnologia stile cel-shading chimata "Kumo Engine"."

Luckily, I was able to get a translation:

"One of our infiltrates, has revealed that Level 5 is working on a new Dark Cloud exclusively for the PlayStation 3. This title will come out in March of 2009, and will be developed using a new open-technology, the Japanese style "Kumo Engine"."

Will Dark Cloud 3 arrive in 2009 for PLAYSTATION 3? If we hear an official announcement, we will let you know.

[Via Photobucket]

Game Head: Ratchet & Uncharted

GameTrailer's own Daniel Kayser heads to Croatia to check out Uncharted and Ratchet & Clank. Enjoy.

[Via GameTrailers]

Assassin's Creed Team on Nex-Gen

The latest games all look great but the potential offered by the processing power of consoles such as the Xbox 360 and PS3 does not end there. They also give developers a wealth of new gameplay possibilities.

At Ubisoft's Montreal studio, a team of 300 designers, programmers and artists have spent four years developing Assassin's Creed, a next generation medieval action adventure.

"A lot of people have heard the term 'next gen game' thrown around and so far what we've seen as far as next gen games mostly means better quality graphics," said Ubisoft producer Jade Raymond.

Read the full article at the link below.

[Read: VG: The Next Generation]

X-2 & DOA: Dead Fantasy I

A user over at GameTrailers, montyoum, made a video of the characters of PS2's Final Fantasy X-2 and the characters of Xbox 360's Dead or Alive series to make the ultimate girl on girl bashing video. Enjoy.

[Via GameTrailers]

Uncharted: New Screenshots

1UP has added some new screenshots of Naugthy Dog's upcoming PLAYSTATION 3 title, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune to their media database. The one above is just one of seven new screenshots. Check them out below.

[View: Uncharted Screens]

Minor GTAIV Multiplayer Details

Coverage by GamingExcellence at Playstation's Holiday Preview event shed some more light on the secretive multiplayer for GTAIV.

"Set for 2008's second quarter, GTA IV was also missing, but Rockstar's man on the scene told GamingExcellence that they had begun testing the various plots and that the developers were considering the possibility of having an open world completely unlocked from the start of the game. We also understand that the game's multiplayer mode, unseen in the GTA franchise since GTA2 in 1997, is aiming for at least 16 simultaneous players, with more than just the usual deathmatch mode."

A 16 player kill off, now that's multiplayer.

[Via GTA4.tv]

GameVideos: Uncharted Drake's Fortune 'Impressions'

GameVideos checks out Uncharted: Drake's Fortune's story, style & mechanics. Enjoy.

[Via GameVideos]

Interview: Seabass Talks Pro Evolution Soccer 2008

Shingo 'Seabass' Takatsuka is a living soccer legend. The mastermind behind the exceptional Pro Evolution Soccer series has been creating our favourite game of footy for years now, but 2008 signals a milestone for the long-running soccer series, with PS3 and Wii versions of the game now completing a full next gen line-up. CVG was able to have a sit-down with him, they started:

This is the first Pro Evolution Soccer on PS3 - are you pleased with what you've achieved and how do you see the series evolving on PS3?

Seabass: Well I'm satisfied in that in the time frame we had, we were able to finish the code and release it on time, but that's only really within that time frame. When I look at the capacity of what the PS3 can do, I feel very strongly that there's loads of things that I wanted to do, but I couldn't do them in this version.

As to the future, well it's not just about PS3 actually, but it's more about the mentality of the development team and I want to change the mentality of the team to be renewed and changed to focus on all next-gen platforms. We've already started operations on this.

Read the full interview at the link below.

[Read: PES 2008 Interview]

GameSpot: Unreal Tournament III Multiplayer Hands-On

The year 2007 is a huge one for shooters, featuring big-name games like Halo 3, Crysis, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and Half-Life 2: The Orange Box. However, one shooter that's been flying under the radar a bit is Unreal Tournament 3, the latest edition in Epic's multiplayer combat franchise. That's partly because Epic has been relatively mum about the game, working quietly in its North Carolina offices over the past year. Imagine a game that's even more graphically advanced than Gears of War, but with a much larger scale, allowing up to 32 players to battle it out together on the PC.

GameSpot got their first serious hands-on with the game recently at Epic, and this gave them a chance to check out various multiplayer modes and explore what's new, improved, and cool about the latest Unreal Tournament.

[Via GameSpot]

IGN: Eye of Judgment Scores and 8/10

IGN's review for Sony's upcoming Eye of Judgment just came in today, and here is there breakdown:

Presentation - 9.0
Impressive attention to detail, rad opening, and sweet cards. Eye of Judgment was designed with presentation in mind.

Graphics - 7.5
Nice visuals make the creatures really come to life, and the fantastical environments look great.

Sound - 7.5
Intense metal music throughout; we liked it - you may not. Some of the creature voices are fun, while others are a little forced.

Gameplay - 7.5
A great card dynamic that works well with the PlayStation Eye. Lack of a story mode is a real letdown, though.

Lasting Appeal - 7.0
This really depends on how long you like playing card games, but be weary of the lack of single-player options.

OVERALL - 8.0
(out of 10 / not an average)

Read the full review at the link below, or watch it at the video above.

[Read: Eye of Judgment Review]