Activision has added eleven new songs to the Guitar Hero III playlist, bringing the total number of confirmed songs to 26, most of which are original recordings. The new tracks are:

• Miss Murder (by AFI)
  
• Through Fire and Flames (by Dragonforce)
  
• Number of the Beast (by Iron Maiden)
  
• 3’s and 7’s (by Queens of the Stone Age)
  
• Suck My Kiss (by Red Hot Chili Peppers)
  
• Raining Blood (by Slayer)
  
• Reptillia (by The Strokes)
  
• Paranoid (as made famous by Black Sabbath)
  
• Cities on Flame (as made famous by Blue Oyster Cult)
  
• Mississippi Queen (as made famous by Mountain)
  
• La Grange (as made famous by ZZ Top)

The full list of confirmed songs can be found after the jump. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will be released this October for PS2, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360.
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Philips had announced that it had unveiled an amBX-enabled multiplayer demo of Quake 4 at QuakeCon that has run from August 2-4.

Shorthand for ‘ambient experiences’, amBX revolutionises the gameplay experience by extending the gaming world out of the screen and into the real world. amBX delivers a full ’sensory surround experience’ by equipping game developers with a tool box to use light, colour, sound and even air flow through enabled devices, including the Philips amBX PC Gaming Peripherals range of LED colour-controlled lighting capable of representing 16 million different colours, rumble peripherals and variable speed desktop fans.

The Philips amBX team has crafted a mod for QUAKE 4 which, when played with amBX peripherals, will see fans, lights and rumble effects, including 360 degree environmental lighting, form an integral part of the gameplay. Players running and jumping in the game will actually feel the air move around them and the effect of landing and impacts. Weapons will generate custom effects, including surrounding light, rumble shudder and fan blast effects from the rocket launcher. On a more subtle level, rear view lighting is darkened when players use a weapon scope mode, to draw players into the sniper frame of mind. On the receiving end, damage feedback is displayed through a multi directional red light blood splatter and bullet impact vibration. Finally, power and pick ups are represented through different light effects, including a light blue aura for Quad Damage, pulsing red for Regeneration, a fast yellow pulse for Haste, green light for Health and blue light for Mega Health.

“Multiplayer gaming doesn’t come any bigger than QUAKE and QuakeCon is our chance to show the world just how awesome FPS multiplayer gaming can really be with amBX,” commented Jo Cooke, Chief Marketing Officer, Philips amBX. “Fragging will reach a whole new dimension with light, wind and rumble effects taking in-your-face explosions right out of the gaming screen and into the hall at QuakeCon.”

The amBX platform has gained quite a few supporters lately, including big names such as Gearbox, THQ and Codemasters.

EA and Crytek have sent out word that Crysis will be hitting stores in North America and Europe simultaneously on November 16 exclusively for the PC.

“Crytek is constantly striving to push the boundaries of both game design and technology, while maintaining quality at the highest bar,” said Cevat Yerli, CEO and President of Crytek. “We’re thankful to our fans for their support and patience, and we’re excited to bring them Crysis this year. It’s going to be worth the wait.”

One of the first ever games to make full use of DirectX10 graphics, Crysis offers full open-ended gameplay. Players are outfitted with a Nanosuit and an arsenal of fully customizable weapons, and more. The game will feature multiplayer modes such as Instant Action mode (deathmatch) and PowerStruggle - a unique team-based strategic mode for up to 32 players, where opposing sides battle for control of advanced weaponry and vehicles to overcome their enemies.

Two new screenshots were sent out to celebrate the release date. Check them out:

A countdown trailer for the game, showing off gameplay footage and more, was also released.

At its earnings conference call, Midway CEO David Zucker revealed delays for two of its upcoming titles. First up is BlackSite: Area 51, the forthcoming sequel for the alien-shooter. Previously set for release this September, the game will now be released on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 October 26 in Europe and November 5 in North America.

The Wheelman is the other game to receive a delay. Based on a movie of the same name featuring Vin Diesel, the game has now been pushed back to Q1 or Q2 2008. “We’ll be shifting our release of The Wheelman starring Vin Diesel for the first half of 2008 to give our development team more time to turn this ultimate car chase game into what we expect will be a broad impact top notch title,” Zucker said. The game was initially pegged for release later this year.

In the demo department, Meridian 4 has released a preview of RIP3 - The Last Hero. It offers all six unique heroes to play over the first ten levels in the game. Download it from 3D Downloads, FileFront and Gamer’s Hell.

A demo of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 is now available for download through the PlayStation Network for the PS3. It offers one level from the game, allowing players to lead the Ghost team in Mexico to clean up a rebel camp. The PS3 has also received demos of The Darkness. Meanwhile, a preview of Fatal Inertia has hit Xbox Live Marketplace.

The first of the patches comes from Codemasters, who has updated Overlord to v1.2. The new version adds an inverted mouse option, removes the 30 FPS cap and addresses bugs and more. It can be downloaded from FileFront, Gamer’s Hell and Rapidshare (direct link).

A new patch for Anderson & the Legacy of Cthulhu has also been released, updating the adventure game to v1.02. Grab it from Gamer’s Hell. Supreme Commander has also been updated, with the game going up to v3260. This page outlines the changes in the update, which includes new units as well as bug fixes and balance changes. Grab it from FileFront, Gamer’s Hell and Rapidshare (direct link).

Aspyr has released a patch for the Mac edition of Quake 4, updating the shooter to v1.4.2. Fixing multiplayer issues, including support for Quake 4 TV, the update can be downloaded from MacGameFiles.

Take-Two Interactive has revealed through its conference call that Grand Theft Auto IV has been delayed to 2008. Originally scheduled for release this October, the game now has no exact release date except that it is expected sometime during February and April 2008.

The guys at Kotaku have more on the issue. Apparently, company executives Strauss Zelnick and Ben Feder were there fielding questions. When asked if any specific platform was the culprit behind the delay, Zelnick responded: “I know there have been rumors in the marketplace about frame rate and some other issues. We don’t think it’s helpful or beneficial to go into exact details of what the technological issues are. We’re pushing the envelope on both the platforms.”

He also said that the decision to delay the game wasn’t something that “Rockstar took lightly;” he goes on to mention that they reviewed a build prior to this announcement and they didn’t feel that the October release date could be met.

As for the Xbox 360-exclusive episodic content, Zelnick stated that the deal with Microsoft wasn’t affected by the delay, telling analysts that “We’re not gonna send money back to Microsoft. That’s not part of the deal.”

EA and The Weather Channel Interactive jointly announced that the recently released NCAA Football 08 features the ability to experience real-time weather conditions and updates through a service provided by the latter. It will take weather data from the weather forecasting service to reflect accurate, real-time weather conditions at NCAA stadiums.

“This is a long-awaited feature for gamers - it is the first sports game we know of where actual current weather conditions will affect weather conditions in the game,” said Derek Van Nostran, director of marketing for The Weather Channel Interactive. “The Weather Channel Interactive welcomes this opportunity to work with EA Sports to bring an extra dose of realism to the game.”

The Weather Channel provides a custom weather data feed to EA Sports for each stadium location. Every time a player loads a game while logged into the Internet, they have the option to choose real-time weather from the service. The feature has been illustrated below through the screenshots.

NCAA Football 08 is now available in stores for the PS2, PS3, Xbox and Xbox 360.

Lexicon Entertainment has announced Rapid Raccoon for the DS. In development at DK Games, this racing game will feature a choice of 3 anti-gravity crafts with different skills, speed and handling, with three more available for unlock. The game will follow the style of action-racing, featuring collectables that aid the player including missiles, mines, speedups, bombs and more.

There will be three modes - easy, normal and hard; a 3D engine on DS; network play; and mascots for each team, with one being the Raccoon itself.

VestGame Entertainment sent out word that Magic Ages, its first fantasy MMORPG, will be ready for release in North America by the end of September. It also stated that it will soon reveal the launch date for the closed beta testing.

Set against the backdrop of an enchanted land and seeped in Norse and religious mythology, ‘Magic Ages’ is an immersive 2.5D MMORPG which has been in development for over one year. On the eve of Lucifer’s escape from hell, the game plunges its players into an ancient war between two rival human kingdoms torn apart by hatred and on the verge of destruction. Having been tested and proven in the Asian market for eight months, the game’s developers feel confident that Magic Ages will provide a compelling alternative to existing free MMOs. With its appealing graphics, rich plotline and variety of game options, ‘Magic Ages’ is expected to become a landmark for free MMORPGs. Along with its strong guild system which enables players to collaborate and compete with each other, Magic Ages also enhances the interactive experience by integrating an innovative audio and video chat system into the game environment.

Epic touted mod support for the PS3 version of Unreal Tournament 3 at Sony’s E3 press conference. However, the studio is still hoping to allow user-created content and mods in the Xbox 360 version of the game that will ship next year. The PC and PS3 versions are scheduled for release this Fall.

Microsoft is very adamant about disallowing uncertified content on the Xbox 360. “That’s part of the reason we announced we were shipping the game on PC and PS3 this Fall, but we don’t have a date for the Xbox 360 version,” said Mark Rein to CVG. “It’ll be some time after the new year. Part of that is because we haven’t been able to figure out just how we’re going to do the mods. And Microsoft’s got a very busy Christmas schedule.”

He noted that they “just couldn’t get enough attention from Microsoft” to solve the problem. However, he hopes that whenever the game is shipped for the console, it will feature an easy user-managed way of adding user content and mods.

Nintendo has announced Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland, a DS game based on the Tingle character from the Zelda series. Here’s the deal:

One day while resting in his house a middle-aged man hears a voice, which leads him to a nearby pool of water. Here Uncle Rupee reveals himself and explains that the pond is a gateway to a paradise called Rupeeland that can only be activated by throwing money into the pool. Uncle Rupee then transforms the player into the mischievous Tingle. Fans of the Legend of Zelda franchise will remember Tingle as a peculiar character from this series who helps Link on his quest but only in return for cold hard cash. Now Zelda fans can finally solve the riddle behind this character and experience Tingle’s story!

Tingle is by no means your typical video game ‘hero’. For a start he does nothing for free, instead only completing tasks and helping people for a fee. As he progresses through the game Tingle must complete sub-quests, explore dungeons and sell maps he draws for Rupees, which he can then feed to the pool in his garden to make a tower grow and give him access to new areas. Rupees collected are shown at the top of the screen and decrease when Tingle is hurt or has to buy something.

Utilising the Nintendo DS touch-screen and stylus, Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland is fun and intuitive to play, whatever your gaming experience. This alternative hero is moved around the screen using either the d-pad or YXAB buttons so both right and left-handed stylus control can be used, while everything else in-game is controlled via the touch screen. Players can interact with characters and items that they encounter by simply tapping them with their stylus. The game’s payment screen is equally intuitive to use with an on-screen numeric keyboard that players must simply tap.

As many a stock-trader will confirm, you must speculate to accumulate and in this game it is no different. On his weird and wonderful journeys Tingle will encounter other characters with items or information he requires, but this all comes at a price. Players must use their best skills to haggle to get the ultimate deal they can on the items they need. Be careful though, if you are too greedy you may end up getting less than you bargained for and could end up losing out in the long run.

Tingle may be dressed like a fairy but unfortunately he has nearly no powers or abilities except a love of collecting money, meaning that hired muscle is needed to help him survive. Parting with his precious funds allows Tingle to hire bodyguards to keep him out of danger as well as aid him with different abilities such as lock-picking and access to impassable areas.

Aside from adventuring, Tingle can utilise his map-making skills to earn himself a supplemental income. When exploring an area players will be able to view the area on their map screen. When they come across points of interest not marked on the chart, they can circle the exact spot using the Nintendo DS stylus and then sell their updated maps in town for a hefty sum.

The game will be released across Europe on September 14; it will retail for £25.

Quite a few triple-A games will be screened at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival that will be held at Edinburgh University from August 13-15. The screening taking place on August 14 at the Odeon Cinema, Lothian Road will offer two world premieres: Rise of the Argonauts and Turning Point, as well as the European premiere for Guitar Hero III, along with Unreal Tournament 2007, Assassin’s Creed and BioShock.

“The Edinburgh Interactive Festival gives gamers their only chance to see the latest games for PC and console weeks or months before they hit the market,” said Brian Baglow, Edinburgh Interactive Festival 2007 screenings director. “They also get to chance to meet some of the people behind the biggest games in the world and find out more about the strange industry that creates hits like Grand Theft Auto, The Sims and Halo.”

“We’ve even got a session for non-gamers. If you’ve never, ever picked up a joystick, wouldn’t buy a PlayStation 3 at gunpoint and are confused by kids spending eight hours a day wrestling with a joypad, come to the casual games screening. We’ll open your eyes to a whole new world of wonder and fun - and give you something far more interesting to do with your home computer, mobile phone and TV controller.”

Full lineup of screenings can be found after the jump.
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Parent company of Bethesda Softworks, a major star in the single-player RPG genre, ZeniMax Media has opened a new division focused solely on MMOs. Called ZeniMax Online Studios, the devision will be headed by Matt Firor, a ten-year veteran of Dark Age of Camelot and Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning developer Mythic Entertainment.

“I am extremely impressed with ZeniMax and Bethesda Softworks management–their development philosophy closely matches my own, with an emphasis on quality, innovation, and craftsmanship,” said Firor.

No details are currently known as to what platforms are being targeted by the newly formed studio. However, in an interview on Bethesda Blog, Firor indicated that he expects the PC to remain the main focus for MMOs by indie developers, implying that ZeniMax Online Studios will be developing mostly for this platform.

The first S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky trailer is now online, showing gameplay footage from the upcoming prequel. Watch it below, or download from 3D Downloads, ActionTrip, FileFront, FileShack and Gamer’s Hell.