Microsoft revealed at the Comic-Con convention that the HD-DVD Player for the Xbox 360 (also usable on a PC through a hack) has received a price cut and will start selling for $179 starting August 1. The new deal also includes five free HD-DVD movies until September 30.

Additionally, the company announced that it will offer the film 300 on demand in HD on Xbox Live Marketplace starting August 14; it is also working with Warner Bros. to bring even more content from its lineup. The company also mentioned that users will be able to download the pilot episode of Heroes for free in HD for a limited time, as well as trailers, teaser scenes and other promotional material.

Developer of real-time character animation middleware, Mystic Game Development has announced that Emotion FX 3, its animation SDK for multi-core processor systems is now available for the PS3.

“We are pleased to join Sony Computer Entertainment’s Tools and Middleware program for ‘PLAYSTATION3,” said John van der Burg, the development director at the company. “Now that EMotion FX 3.5 is available on PLAYSTATION®3, we are looking forward to seeing what game developers will do with it.”

Some of the features in the SDK include real-time motion retargeting, tight integration with 3D Studio Max and Maya, multi-processor support, facial animation, character customization and more.

GOA, the online games department of France Telecom, will be present at the Games Convention that will take place in Leipzig next month. They will be showing off Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning and Dark Age of Camelot, along with games from their online portal, at their 500 sq. m. stand.

They will also be hooking up 36 free access computers to allow players sample Warhammer Online’s Realm vs. Realm combat.

On the Red Orchestra website is a tease of an upcoming summer update for the WWII FPS. Here’s the deal:

The first “BIG” announcement we have is a massive new map entitled - Krivoi Rog. This map is an all out long range tank slugfest featuring a playable area over 4 kilometers long by 4 kilometers wide and a viewable range of 3000 meters. Set on the plains of the southern Ukraine the level pits the heavily armored Tiger and early war Panzers against the speedy T34/76. The update also features a new tank variant - the Panzer IV G, as well as a new option to manually reload tank main guns, choosing the next round type first before reloading.

Next up we have added several new graphical enhancements to the game. The game now features an all new adaptive bloom system that aside from looking amazing also simulates the effect of the eye adjusting when looking at bright areas. For those of you that experienced a “blurry” effect with the old bloom system (especially at low resolution) you’ll be happy to hear that the all new bloom effect is crystal clear even at low resolutions. And for even more eye candy, Anti-Aliasing and Anistropic Filtering settings are now configurable in-game. Many of the devs and testers have commented that with these new settings RO almost looks like a new game!

Finally, the next update will include many new server admin requested features as well as a string of bug fixes and community requested tweaks. As this is just a teaser we won’t go into all of those just yet, but keep an eye on www.redorchestragame.com for more details coming soon. We will also be looking at opening up some beta testing for the community shortly, so keep a good look-out for news on that!

Sega has revealed the release date for the Xbox 360 version of Virtua Fighter 5: October 30 in North America. This version of the game will include online and vibration support, balance adjustments and an improved Quest mode.

Following up on Bringing E3 Home, Microsoft has announced that it will also be bringing Comic-Con 2007 home to all Xbox 360 owners. Taking place from July 26-August 7, the event will bring access to Warner’s Comic-Con materials, including game trailers, show panels, interviews, themes and more to its users.

Games based on Bollywood movies? One company is doing so, but will be following a very different model than that of traditional computer games. Check out this CNet News report for more details.

GameDaily reports that infamous game director Uwe Boll is getting into game development. The article states that German developer Replay Studios is creating a game called Tunnel Rats, based on an upcoming Vietnam War movie that is not one of his trademark video game adaptations.

“Tunnel Rats is a first-person shooter set during the Vietnam War that tells the story of a young G.I. who escapes from a POW camp and journeys through a heavily fortified valley in the Cu Chi province,” said Marc Moehring Managing Director and Co-Founder, Replay Studios. “It not only depicts his actual physical path through the merciless jungle and claustrophobic, trap-ridden tunnels, but also his emotional and psychological journey as the horrors he witnesses–and participates in–slowly deprive him of his ideals, morals and sanity.”

It will tell a parallel story of different characters in a similar situation and will take place over 10 levels of jungles and tunnels based on the movie. The game will also incorporate Jessica de Rooij’s score the movie as well as additional music.

Uwe Boll is also working on another original property Seed, a horror movie.

Demiurge Studios has been enlisted by Kaos Studios to optimize the gameplay experience in Frontlines: Fuel of War, its upcoming Unreal Engine 3-powered action shooter. The aforementioned studio has extensive experience with the engine, making them a natural fit to polish up the game, according to Kaos Studios.

“Kaos has put together an incredible game in Frontlines: Fuel of War,” said Al Reed, Studio Director at Demiurge. “We’re excited to use our know-how to help them smooth out such an enormous gamespace.”

Frontlines: Fuel of War is slated for release this Fall.

MindArk has announced that they’ve licensed CryENGINE 2 that is powering Crysis, for use in Entropia Universe, its MMOG that uses real cash economy. The transition to this new engine is expected to be finished by mid-2008 and will be available to all its partners.

Creator MindArk PE AB’s CEO Jan Welter Timkrans explains, “The upgrade of Entropia Universe will be built around the spectacular features supplied by CryENGINE 2, offering a complete and immersive experience to Entropia participants. It will create synergies between the proven and safe Real Cash Economy backbone, the Entropia storyline with colonists fighting to establish a new world, and the very life-like visuals supplied from CryENGINE 2.” He continues, “When we saw what the engine was capable of, we immediately understood that it would be perfect for Entropia, as both MindArk and Crytek are pioneers in their respective fields.”

Left 4 Dead, the upcoming survival co-op game from Turtle Rock Studios and Valve, will be shown at Quakecon 2007 in Dallas, Texas August 2-5. It will be playable by attendees and members of the design team will be on hand to answer questions from visitors.

The inevitable second season for Sam & Max has been announced by Telltale and GameTap, marking the return of the anthropomorphic duo this Fall.

“Season One was a great success, but it’s just a starting point for us,” says Telltale’s CEO Dan Connors. “The episodic model presents so many opportunities to innovate and engage the audience in brand new ways. Just wait until you see what Telltale and GameTap have in store with Season Two.”

As for the entries in season two, they will be “keeping the general structure and gameplay” and focusing on telling “farther-reaching, crazier stories,” according to Dave Grossman, Telltale’s design director. There will also be improvements based on user feedback.

For those looking to experience season one, a box set will be available next month, offering additional content alongside the episodes.

One of those ultra-rare Linux gamers? Then check out this page where you can sign up to beta test the Linux edition of X3: Reunion, the latest entry in the space combat series. On LinuxGames are details on participation.

For Windows gamers, there’s the Hellgate London beta. However, this won’t be free, as interested parties will have to pre-order the game through Hellgate Resistance, who notes that buying the game will include a chance to participate in the game’s beta testing: “Signing up for the pre-order will also automatically register your name on the waiting list for the Hellgate: London beta test.”

D3Publisher sent out word that it will be present at the Leipzig Games Convention next month, showing the latest build of Dark Sector on PS3 and Xbox 360 among other titles. Here’s the deal:

Publicly playable for the first time, Dark Sector is Digital Extreme’s breath-taking third-person action title. Set within a plague-ravaged Eastern European city, the player is cast as Hayden Tenno, a Government Agent sent to investigate the heavily patrolled area, but inadvertently infected by a mutagen that is endowing him with ever-increasing powers. Armed with a unique Glaive weapon which can kill multiple targets with one throw, and with a host of adversaries beautifully tied in with the unfolding plot, Dark Sector is a stunning game that mixes exploration, action and puzzles with aplomb. Games Convention will be used to show the latest build of the title, which is now scheduled for a Q1 2008 release.

Ben 10: Protector of Earth is the first of two new Cartoon Network properties on show. Players assume control of the cartoon’s everyday hero Ben Tennyson, as he uses the power of the Omnitrix - an alien artefact embedded in his arm - to change his appearance to battle the evil Kevin 11 and arch enemy Vilgax. Due for release on Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation2 and PSP (PlayStationPortable), Ben 10: Protector of Earth perfectly mirrors the adventures of the cartoon series and features a wealth of characters and situations from the popular Cartoon Network show.

Ed, Edd and Eddy: Scam of the Century stars the three ne’er-do-wells as they find their book of schemes stolen by Captain Melonhead and handed out to the local kids. Exploring a wealth of 2D locations, the three ‘heroes’ must pit their assorted skills and retrieve the book before their nefarious plots are used against them. Due for release in October for Nintendo DS, Scam of the Century marks a fitting video game misadventure for the misbehaving trio…

Further showcasing the variety of titles under the D3PE banner, Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire is a massive role-playing title exclusively for Nintendo Wii. Set in a fantasy world devastated by evil dragons, a young warrior must locate the mythical Dragon Blade of the title - a weapon endowed with the powers of Dragons and capable of seeing off the fire-breathing monsters. Graphically stunning, Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire uses both the Wii Remote and Nunchuck controllers to offer full control of the player and weapon, with movements from both realised in special attacks on screen. The game also boasts a storyline by Richard A. Knack, creator of the DragonLance range. With its upgradeable weapons and massive battles, Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire will also be playable on the D3PE stand.

The company will also show off the Vicious Cycle development engine to interested game developers. D3PE can be found at stand K37, hall one.

An updated fact sheet was sent out for Warhound, an upcoming open-ended FPS from Techland, offering new details on the game. Set for release sometime next year for PC and Xbox 360, the game will offer full freedom to players and will offer weapons, battlefield tactics and vehicles for the player to peruse. Here’s the deal:

Warhound is an open-ended First-Person Shooter (FPS) set in modern times. In the game, you will play as an ex-Delta Force operative, now working for the world’s largest military contractor. In Warhound, you’ll complete a variety of challenging missions in battlefields around the world, while later uncovering a massive terrorist plot that targets the United States and thousands of its citizens.

Warhound focuses on complete freedom of choice, and as such, you will have unprecedented opportunities to pick your missions, weapons, battlefield tactics and vehicles. You will select mission start times, insertion/extraction points and the types (land, sea or air) of insertion. You will also need to keep on top of your training, finances and position in the highly-competitive mercenary market to ensure you receive only the most select missions. More successful missions equal more money, which can be used to buy new equipment and weapons for future jobs. Warhound’s innovative First Person Perspective (FPP) cover system will allow you to bring the battle to your enemies in ways you’ve never dreamed of before.

More information after the jump. Here are some nice high-resolution screenshots from the game:

(more…)