Today Rockstar released the first ever screenshots from GTA: Vice City Stories, showing a glimpse of the characters and vehicles.

More after the jump.
(more…)

From Sweden comes word from Frictional Games that they will release a commercial version of Penumbra - Overture:

Penumbra is an innovative first person horror game utilizing physics for interaction and puzzles. The game is set on Greenland where the protagonist searches for information regarding his late father. Previously released as a tech demo, Penumbra gained over a quarter of a million downloads world wide. It has been very well received and called one of the scariest games ever.

Penumbra - Overture will feature major updates in both gameplay and graphics. Gameplay additions include a melee combat system, greatly improved AI and more stable physics. The already powerful graphics engine will boost even more next-generation features creating a very realistic experience. Notable features include full real-time lighting, motion blur, depth of field and advanced fogging.

The studio is currently looking for a publisher. They plan to release the game sometime next year.

The colors just keep on coming: Nintendo has announced that gamers in North America will be able to empty their pockets for two more colors of the DS Lite - Onyx and Coral Pink (both pictured). Gamers can do so on September 13.

Nintendo took the opportunity to also announce that New Super Mario Bros. has hit the 1 million unit sales mark after just 12 weeks on sale in the region. Overall, the DS and its game sales are both up more than 300 percent in July alone.

Following up on this story, ANACONDA’s press conference saw the official unveiling of Jane Jensen’s new project Gray Matter.

The game’s story mixes eerie mysteries with supernatural events in best Jensen-style. Neurobiologist Dr. David Styles is one of the game’s central characters: since losing his wife in a horrible accident some several years ago, he has become a recluse, seldom leaving Dread Hill House, his English country estate.

When student and part-time street performer Samantha Everett shows up at his doorstep, she unexpectedly becomes his assistant. Hailing from America, she has been traveling through most of Europe the last couple years, making do by performing magic tricks on street corners, so this comes as a nice change of pace for her. But is the meeting of Sam and Styles really as coincidental as it seems?

Her first task: finding six test subjects at Oxford University for one of Styles’ experiments. The experiment starts off innocently enough: the subjects are tasked with imagining different forms of physical exercise. But then inexplicable incidents start mounting - and Styles receives visitations by his dear departed wife. Now it’s up to Sam to solve the mysteries of Dread Hill House.

In Gray Matter, players control both Dr. David Styles as well as Samantha Everett in their bid to uncover the secrets and find out the truth. While Dr. Styles research leads him into an investigation into the intricacies of the human mind, the player will have to tackle stage magic as Sam to solve puzzles. Gray Matter tackles questions concerning the nature of reality and the power of the mind in constructing the world we take for granted.

Gray Matter is in development at Tonuzaba Entertainment in Hungary and will be published worldwide during Q4 2007.

Two screens from Unreal Tournament 2007. I don’t know if they are from PC or PS3.

Sure to appeal to kids who watch the TV channel, The Game Factory announced Cartoon Network Racing for the PS2 and DS. Scoop:

Cartoon Network’s most popular characters, including The Powerpuff Girls and Johnny Bravo, go under starter’s orders as they battle it out to become the Cartoon Network Racing champion in this exciting fast-paced, hi-action arcade racing game.

Players are immersed in the wild and wacky world of Cartoon Network where they can race as one of their favourite cartoon characters. Choose to race from The Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo, Dexter’s Laboratory, Cow and Chicken, Courage the Cowardly Dog and I.M. Weasel, with each character adopting unique Toon Powers*. Gamers must chose tactically: make the wrong choice, and it could cost them the race in the fight to cross the finish line first.

Cartoon Network Racing provides gamers with endless hours of fun with 24* different racing circuits for players to zoom round. Racing zones include Spooky Mine and the Theme Park, plus -show-themed- locations such as Dexter’s Laboratory and the Aron City. Players can enjoy the game alone in single player mode, or go head-to-head with an opponent or race as driver and co-driver in the two-player mode.

As drivers compete through the increasingly difficult levels, they must keep their wits about them to both collect essential power-ups and eliminate their rivals as they race towards the final lap and the coveted chequered flag.

Set for release this October, the PS2 version of the game will feature 12 themed tracks and six show tracks; a multitude of single and multiplayer modes; and more. The DS version will feature 16 race courses, four game modes, a Kart-Toon Store for buying new characters, upgrades and bonus games, and wireless multiplayer for up to eight players.

To make the forthcoming Family Guy game even more “freakin’ sweet”, 2K Games announced that it has bagged the cast of the popular TV show. Seth MacFarlane, creator and producer of the series, and the rest of the cartoon’s main cast will be providing voice talent in the game that is scheduled to launch on current-generation consoles this Fall.

“We are excited to have Seth MacFarlane involved in the Family Guy video game,” said Christoph Hartmann, President, 2K. “MacFarlane’s voice alongside the other popular talent on board - Seth Green, Mila Kunis, Alex Borstein and Adam West - will definitely bring the humorous story and animated world of Family Guy to life in this must-have game for fans of the show.”

The extremely-popular Korean MMORPG Lineage II has gotten another update, entitled Chronicle 5: Oath of Blood. Latest in the Lineage II saga, the update makes the game friendlier than before, featuring two huge new regions to explore, new items, creatures, quests and mini-games. It also features refinements to many aspects of the game as well as an increased level cap.

Chronicle 5 will launch on September 6 and will be free to subscribers. The game is available in stores, priced £20.

Some (awesome) screenshots from Assassin’s Creed, Ubi’s highly anticipated stealth-action title for the PS3.

The long-running Ultima Online MMORPG will be getting the much-needed upgrade sometime next year. EA has announced Kingdom Reborn, a new add-on for the game which will offer new additions as well as a graphical upgrade.

Much more than an expansion, Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn is a complete make-over of the online world with a new graphics engine, a state-of-the-art user interface and enough new content for even the most seasoned players. Additionally, nine years of content and features will be preserved and enhanced with all-new graphics, making Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn one of the largest and deepest massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) in existence.

“It’s been nine years since Ultima Online first proved that online games could be very popular,” said EA Mythic General Manager, Mark Jacobs. “And now, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the UO team and the support of the players over the years, a new day is dawning for this groundbreaking game.”

The new graphics engine will maintain the game’s original perspective while giving it a bold new look that takes advantage of 3D-accelerated special effects. The team is busy re-drawing more than 9,000 pieces of art with which the entire map of Ultima Online — more than 14 million tiles — will be re-built, giving the whole game a vibrant new look.

Kingdom Reborn will also include a playable race, new monsters, dungeons, PvP combat, creative housing design and much more. Further details will be announced later this year.

Capcom’s Lost Planet has been looking good since day one, and has also been an Xbox 360 exclusive. But that may be changed: speaking to 1Up, Jun Takeuchi, game producer, indicated that the game may make its way to the PS3 in the near future.

“We will try to keep it as a 360 exclusive,” he explained. “But, from the company’s point of view, when you think about the business, in the future it’s something [port the game to PS3] we might have to do.” This reflects the Xbox 360’s status in Japan, where it has had to fight an uphill battle from the launch day. It can also be noted that two high-profile Gamecube exclusives - Killer7 and Resident Evil 4 - were later ported to the PS2.

1Up reports that Ubisoft is planning to release a demo for Assassin’s Creed before the game launches next year for the PS3. It is yet unclear as to how the demo will be distributed, but many are speculating that it will be done through a magazine demo disc or via Sony’s upcoming online service for their console.

And some scary screenshots from Alone in the Dark:

Valve has done it again! The company’s Doug Lombardi, in an interview with EuroGamer, said that Episode Two, the next installment in the Half-Life 2 saga, is not going to make it to stores until February 2007. Why is this so? “No, it’s just sort of classic Valve being overly aggressive on our dates. But we’re aiming for Q1 right now and we’re really far along in the playtest stage. You know, our thing is always that we’re trying to make really good experiences and so we’re going to manage to that rather than the schedule.”

In related news, these Episode Two clips on YouTube (one, two, three and four) are awesome!

Some new Metal Gear Solid 4 screenshots from the Leipzig Games Convention: