Gears of War 2

It’s 2:45 PM and I just found this gameplay movie of GoW 2, it looks awesome, take a look.

Doom 4

Doom 4 , yeah baby!

Here is the post I got from the from the official id software site:

Production has begun on DOOM 4™, the next journey into the legendary DOOM universe. We are expanding our internal team and are currently hiring to work on this highly anticipated title.

“DOOM is part of the id Software DNA and demands the greatest talent and brightest minds in the industry to bring the next installment of our flagship franchise to Earth,” said Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software.  “It’s critical for id Software to have the best creative minds in-house to develop games that meet the standards synonymous with our titles.”

The DOOM franchise is one of the most recognizable and important in gaming history, having been named “one of the ten most influential games of the decade” by PC Gamer and “the #1 game of all time” by GameSpy.  DOOM 4 will join the award-winning series which has consistently topped sales charts throughout the world.

So doom fans, rejoice as another awesome game is heading your way!

Video Game Industry

I just saw the National purchase group diary, and OMG we spend so much money on video games.

NPD:

2007 U.S. Video Game And PC Game Sales Exceed

$18.8 Billion Marking Third Consecutive Year Of

Record-Breaking Sales

PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, January 31, 2008 – According to leading consumer and retail information provider, The NPD Group, U.S. sales of video games, which includes portable and console hardware, software and accessories, generated revenues of almost $18 billion, a 43 percent increase over the $12.5 billion generated in 2006.

Retail sales in the PC game software industry reached $911 million in 2007, bringing the total console, portable and PC game industry to $18.8 billion, a 40 percent increase over the $13.5 billion generated in 2006.

All video game categories experienced double-digit percentage increases, led by console hardware, which generated $5.12 billion in sales, a 73 percent increase over the $2.96 billion generated by that category in 2006. Portable game software, portable game hardware and video game accessories categories saw respective dollar sales increases of 18 percent, 19 percent and 52 percent when compared to 2006.

Including PC games, total industry software sales reached $9.5 billion, a 28 percent increase over the $7.4 billion generated in 2006.

“NPD’s consumer data uncovered some interesting trends to follow during the current console transition,” said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group. “For example, the 35 years of age and older demographic realized the greatest percentage growth, driven by software and accessories acquisitions, while the greatest increase in hardware sales came from the ‘core’ 18-34 year old demographic.”

2008 is not any different from 2007, in March ‘08 the total amount of money payed on video games - games consoles and hardware- is 1.1Billion that is insane, and the best selling console was the Nintendo DS which sold  about 700 000 units.

The HAZE/Korn Mash-Up Contest: Where Nectar Meets Metal

Ubisoft and Gametrailers.com has announced a new contest for the Korn and Haze fans, they will be giving a bunch of awesome stuff to the best movie created by anyone who joins the contest at gametrailers.com, here is the post from ubisoft.com:

“Beginning today and running until May 19, 2008, video game enthusiasts, aspiring filmmakers and fans of metal everywhere are encouraged to visit GameTrailers.com at http://www.gametrailers.com/usermoviecontest_haze_contest_details.php. Contestants will be given access to exclusive materials to create and inspire their videos including never-before-seen in-game footage from Haze, live concert footage from Korn and a portion of their original song entitled “Haze,” inspired by the game. Using these materials, participants can create and submit their own mash-up videos for the chance to win a grand prize of a Sony 46” HDTV, a PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, a customized Haze guitar signed by Korn, an amp and $1,000. The second-place winner will receive a PLAYSTATION 3 system, the entire collection of Korn CDs, Ubisoft’s library of games for the PLAYSTATION 3 system, and $500. The third-place winner will receive the entire collection of Korn CDs and Ubisoft’s library of games for the PLAYSTATION 3 system.

“The fundamental link between video games and music, namely the emphasis on creative spirit, is something that cannot be ignored,” said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ubisoft. “By developing this contest, with Korn and our partners at GameTrailers, we have found a way to let amateurs try their hand at playing producer, and really bring their passion for both industries to light. We’re looking forward to seeing the submissions and anticipate having to make a tough decision in declaring a winner.”

Expanding upon the existing collaboration between Haze and Korn, the Ubisoft/GameTrailers user-generated video contest allows fans of both the game and the band to express their creative vision and share it with the world, as visitors of GameTrailers.com from all over the globe will be able to see their work.

“GT is committed to providing our community with one-of-a-kind contests to help foster the creation of compelling user-generated content,” said Brad Winters, general manager of GameTrailers. “Partnering with Ubisoft and Korn to create this promotion is an amazing opportunity that will definitely resonate with our active fans.”

Finalists will be selected by a panel of judges consisting of Korn front man Jonathan Davis, representatives from Ubisoft and GameTrailers and the vote of the viewers themselves. All submitted films will be posted on the GameTrailers website, to be viewed and voted on by fans, who will ultimately cast their votes to determine the number one entry. All videos will then be presented across the GameTrailers network. Winners will be announced on May 30, 2008.
For full contest rules and regulations, please visit http://www.gametrailers.com/usermoviecontest_haze_contest_details.php.

“Haze,” the exclusive song written by Korn for the video game, is available now in the U.S via online music download sites. Fans that currently own, or plan to buy Korn’s latest untitled CD are offered the track for free. Using PUSH technology, fans can simply insert the disc into their computer and visit www.korn.com/bonus where they will be prompted with instructions on how to access their free mp3.

HAZE is scheduled for release exclusively on the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system on May 20, 2008 and is rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB. For more information on HAZE™, please visit www.hazegame.com .”

Far Cry 2.

With the new Dunia engiene the game looks awesome, here is a bunch of info about the game.

UK RELEASE: 28-Nov-2008
NORDIC RELEASE: 28-Nov-2008
US RELEASE: 25-Nov-2008

System Requirements for Far Cry 2

High Requirements:
o CPU: E6600 Core 2 Duo
o Graphics: Nvidia 8800GTS
o RAM: 2GB
o Hard Drive Space: 6-8GB
o Optical Drive: DVD Drive

Minimum Requirements:
o CPU: Athlon 64 3000+/Intel 2.8ghz
o Graphics: Nvidia 6600 or ATI X1600 - Shader Model 2.0
o RAM: 1GB
o Hard Drive Space: 6-8GB
o Optical Drive: DVD Drive

Recommended Requirements:
o CPU: Dual-Core CPU (Athlon X2 / Pentium D / Core 2 Duo)
o Graphics: Nvidia 7800GT or ATI X1800XL Pro (SM 3.0)
o RAM: 2GB+
o Hard Drive Space: 6-8GB
o Optical Drive: DVD Drive