Sega has announced that it has partnered with Planet Moon Studios to create games for the PSP based on a classic SEGA brand. The San Fransisco-based studio is credited with developing several critically acclaimed original titles such as Giants: Citizen Kabuto (PC) and Armed & Dangerous (Xbox).

No brands were mentioned, though it is said to be a “fan-favorite franchise” and an “established” one at that. As for revitalizing its old IPs, Sega has also partnered with Totally Games on an unannounced title, as well as the 2007 release of Golden Axe for next-gen consoles by Secret Level.

On USA Today is an interview with Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo’s new prez, who talks about the company’s Wiiner… and confirms that the Wii will feature free multiplayer out of the box:

Q: How do you extend your online strategy to Wii?

A: It’s the same premise. We will offer online-enabled games that the consumers will not have to pay a subscription fee for. They’ll be able to enjoy that right out of the box. The Wii console is going to be Wi-Fi enabled, so essentially, you’ll be able to plug it in and go. It won’t have hidden fees or costs.

A new Fable 2 update is up on the Lionhead website, this time offering word on the world in the game and how they are developing it to be truly “next-gen”. Here’s a bit:

Dene Carter created 2D sketches of most of the areas that are used in Fable 2. Charlton then went off, using the Fable: The Lost Chapters engine, to turn those sketches into a “real” world in which you could walk around. The aim of this process was to get a complete feel of what it will eventually look like, while the technical guys were working on the tools and the brand new Fable 2 engine itself. It took Charlton about 2 - 3 days to create every area this way. The team could then walk around in the world and review each area and make the required changes instead of working with an engine that isn’t finished yet or designing all the levels on paper without a real feel of the final result. This “template world” allowed the design team to get a really good feel for the game and improve all areas even before being able to test them in the Fable 2 engine. Once all of this was done and the programmers and coders finished their initial work everything was transferred to the new Fable 2 engine, including the height fields which are so all-important. Don’t ask me why they’re that important, as I’m not completely familiar with all this vocabulary but Charlton mentioned it on more then just once occasion.

This time around the world will be “much bigger and better;” however it seems that it will still be on-the-rails as its predecessor. Going off-topic, the update also mentioned that the design document for Fable 2 currently stands at 1,364 pages or around 550,000 words. Now, that’s BIG!

I should also mention that a new piece of low-res concept art is also attached with the update (mirrored here).

In what is sure to be the first direct apology from a studio, Farlan Entertainment acknowledged that Dark and Light, dubbed as the “largest MMORPG you’ve ever seen!,” was rushed out due to pressure from its investors and from the gaming community. To correct the situation, the company has taken laudatory steps including giving existing subscribers three months of free play. Those who have stuck with the game during the last few months will get three months of absolute free play. New subscribers to the game, however, will have to purchase access keys which retail for $40 USD.

As for their second step, Farlan’s development team will focus on improving and correcting the game’s technical challenges, especially its handling, user interface, battle performance and many other aspects. The process of upgrading the MMOG is already underway, with a major patch coming “very soon.”

The company has also signed a new production agreement with SnailGame Entertianment to provide additional people to focus on graphic and scenic production; Farlan, however, stted that NP Cube will continue to oversee the evolution and technical/creative control over the MMORPG.

Some demos:

• Bad Day L.A. on 3D Downloads, 3D Gamers, FileFront, Gameguru Mania, MTV and Worthplaying
  
• Maelstrom on 3D Gamers, 3D Downloads, Computer Games, FileFront, FilePlanet, Gamer’s Hell and Strategy Informer
  
• Project Xenoclone on the Official Website, 3D Downloads, 3D Gamers and FileFront

Adorning yet another celebrity athlete on the cover of its game, 2K Sports sends word that Shaquille O’Neal of Miami Heat Center and 2006 NBA World Champion will be the cover athlete and official spokesperson for NBA 2K7.

However, Shaq’s involvement doesn’t lie only in gracing the cover: he has also worked with the developers on a new direction in the post game for NBA 2K7. Post-players are now characterized by teir power, speed and finesse ability, giving each player their unique feel in the post. For example, power post-players will battle for rebounds with their size and score with powerful dunking authority, speedy players will utilize their quickness and first-step to penetrate the hoop, and finesse players will use fadeaway jumpers and float baby-hook shots to score.

NBA 2K7 will be out for the PS2, Xbox and Xbox 360 this September. A PS3 version of the game will be available this Holiday season.

If this EBGames product page is to be believed, EA is working on compiling its greatest retro hits for release on the PSP, though the company is relocating its development time and money to a certain other handheld.

Dubbed EA Replay, the compilation will feature classic hits such as Road Rash, Ultima and Wing Commander, letting players game using the handheld’s wide screen as well as go head-to-head against others using the wireless multiplayer options. The titles to be featured in compilation are:

• B.O.B.
  
• Budokan
  
• Desert Strike
  
• Jungle Strike
  
• Haunting Starring Polterguy
  
• Mutant League Football
  
• Road Rash
  
• Road Rash II
  
• Road Rash III
  
• Syndicate
  
• Ultima: The Black Gate
  
• Virtual Pinball
  
• Wing Commander
  
• Wing Commander: Secret Missions

Swedish developer SimBin has officially announced RACE, an upcoming motorsports game based on the WTCC series, featuring the name in ALL CAPS. The title will take players through the official FIA world championships as a newcomer and will include several official tracks and cars.

• As RACE looks and feel we are both proud and also sure of the fact that this game will be a complete success which will strengthen WTCC as a brand and secure a broader base of fans for the cars and stars of our championship, Jaques Behar, KSO Chairman and Eurosport Managing Director comments.

• The nature of WTCC, which is based on race tuned cars seen on the streets every day, and the tight sprint racing in a two-race format**, guarantees the player more intensity and bumper to bumper action than found in any other racing game on the market, says Henrik Roos, CEO, SimBin.

• A very close collaboration with the organisation, car manufacturers, teams and drivers involved in the WTCC have provided SimBin with all the invaluable assets to make this production feasible. This covers all the data needed to be able to recreate the championship down to the smallest details on the cars, tracks and teams.

• All in all RACE has been a new challenge for SimBin to recreate due to its major differences in style from previous games in SimBin´s portfolio. Tomas Karlsson, COO, SimBin.

Well, the Leipzig Games Convention is almost here, but the pre-show announcements keep on coming. The first in today’s trio of press releases, Load Inc., the “biggest of the small” Paris based studio announced that they are heading over to Germany to showcase Mad Tracks (Q1 2007) and ToW (Q3 2007), two of their upcoming Xbox 360 Live Arcade car games.

In a double announcement PR, ACONY revealed that they have hired a Frazer Nash and Leo Jackstaedt to promote Parabellum, the German studio’s strategy FPS game based on Unreal Engine 3. The title will be present at GC in booth D07 Hall 2.

As for MMORPGs, the show’s visitors can look forward to experiencing Guild Wars: Nightfall, NCSoft’s upcoming expansion for the free-to-play MMOG. The event will also be host to the Guild Wars Factions World Champions vie for the $100,000 prize pot. The final will take place on the show floor - B12, Hall 5 - and will be open for everyone to watch.