Codemasters today announced Colin McRae: DiRT 2, the sequel to their 2007 best-selling off-road racer. In development at Codemasters Studios for release on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, as well as Wii, DS and PSP in 2009, the game will honor the life of the rally legend, Colin McRae, who consulted on the series for over ten years before dying in a tragic helicopter accident.

“Colin McRae was all about the speed, the excitement and the entertainment of rally driving. Even when we first worked with him over ten years ago, he captured a freedom and a spirit that enthralled rally fans.” said Gavin Raeburn, senior executive producer at Codemasters Studios. “Later his showmanship shone through in events such as the X-games, the Dakar Rally and the Race of Champions. He could do things with a car that no one else would and that’s where we’re taking the series with new events at the extreme edge of rally and autosport. It will be a great tribute to an incredible champion.”

The sequel will feature a roster of contemporary off-road events as well as real-life racing personalities and officially licensed rally cars and off-road vehicles. It will be powered by the third generation of the EGO engine which benefits from tuned-up car-handling physics system and new damage engine effects. It will also show two times more detail than its predecessor.

Codemasters has released three ‘target’ visuals and confirmation that the original’s shitty multiplayer will be fixed in the sequel.

 
Codemasters today announced Colin McRae: DiRT 2, the sequel to their 2007 best-selling off-road racer. In development at Codemasters Studios for release on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, as well as Wii, DS and PSP in 2009, the game will honor the life of the rally legend, Colin McRae, who consulted on the series for over ten years before dying in a tragic helicopter accident.

“Colin McRae was all about the speed, the excitement and the entertainment of rally driving. Even when we first worked with him over ten years ago, he captured a freedom and a spirit that enthralled rally fans.” said Gavin Raeburn, senior executive producer at Codemasters Studios. “Later his showmanship shone through in events such as the X-games, the Dakar Rally and the Race of Champions. He could do things with a car that no one else would and that’s where we’re taking the series with new events at the extreme edge of rally and autosport. It will be a great tribute to an incredible champion.”

The sequel will feature a roster of contemporary off-road events as well as real-life racing personalities and officially licensed rally cars and off-road vehicles. It will be powered by the third generation of the EGO engine which benefits from tuned-up car-handling physics system and new damage engine effects. It will also show two times more detail than its predecessor.

Codemasters has released three ‘target’ visuals and confirmation that the original’s shitty multiplayer will be fixed in the sequel.

Eurogamer reports that Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will features four of the five neighborhoods presented in GTA 4. All boroughs except Alderney will be present in the game.

The site also notes that the game will have a PDA with a GPS system for keeping track of missions and navigating the streets of Liberty. The touchscreen will be used for this, along with radio and controls for talking to people.

Additionally, the camera can be rotated through a full 360 degrees, despite the game being played from a top-down perspective.

Chinatown Wars is due out in Spring 2009 exclusively on DS.

Surprising everyone, Treyarch’s Call of Duty: World at War has sold more than double on Call of Duty 4’s first week of UK sales.

The game hit two more platforms than its predecessor – PS2 and Wii – and has become a blockbuster hit across all platforms, including PS3, Xbox 360, PC, DS and PSP.

Neither sales figures nor per-console breakdown was provided for the game’s sales.

Series creator Infinity Ward is now working on Call of Duty 6 for release sometime next year.

Surprising everyone, Treyarch’s Call of Duty: World at War has sold more than double on Call of Duty 4’s first week of UK sales.

The game hit two more platforms than its predecessor – PS2 and Wii – and has become a blockbuster hit across all platforms, including PS3, Xbox 360, PC, DS and PSP.

Neither sales figures nor per-console breakdown was provided for the game’s sales.

Series creator Infinity Ward is now working on Call of Duty 6 for release sometime next year.

Not surprising anyone, Take Two CEO Strauss Zelnick revealed during a company presentation that both Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars and the exclusive downloadable content for Grand Theft Auto 4 are being delayed.

Speaking to MTV Multiplayer, Zelnick noted that the GTA 4 DLC is “close to being complete. That said, it may move into the second quarter.” The company’s Q2 starts on February 1, 2009, which would place the DLC far beyond its Fall 2008 target.

Meanwhile, the DS game is also being shifted to the company’s second quarter to “fill out a better launch and marketing window,” according to Zelnick. The quarter runs till May 31, 2009.

Ubisoft today announced the soundtrack for Shaun White Snowboarding, a new upcoming game built around the X-Games and Olympic gold medalist Shaun White.

Apparently, his love for classic rock played a role in inspiring the final list of songs for the game. Some of the artists include Kasabian, Audioslave, Heart, Blue Oyster Cult and Bob Dylan.

Below’s the full list:

• “The Press Corpse” - Anti-Flag
• “Gasoline” - Audioslave
• “Berlin” - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
• “Weapon of Choice” - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
• “Don’t Fear the Reaper” - Blue Öyster Cult
• “Hurricane” - Bob Dylan
• “Someday Baby” - Bob Dylan
• “Acceptable in the 80s” - Calvin Harris
• “Clean My Wounds” - Corrosion of Conformity
• “Time to Fly” - Dunk
• “We Come 1” - Faithless
• “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” - Gil Scott-Heron
• “Counting the Days” - Goldfinger
• “Jump into the Fire” - Harry Nilsson
• “Barracuda” - Heart
• “The Fashion (Do or Die)” - illScarlett
• “Anna Molly” - Incubus
• “White Rabbit” - Jefferson Airplane
• “Reason Is Treason” - Kasabian
• “Stuntman” - Kasabian
• “Cult of Personality” - Living Colour
• “Working for the Weekend” - Loverboy
• “Control” - Metro Station
• “Of Moons, Birds & Monsters” - MGMT
• “Time to Pretend” - MGMT
• “Dashboard” - Modest Mouse
• “Stompbox” - Overseer
• “Rock Box” - Run DMC
• “Ill Placed Trust” - Sloan
• “Ring of Fire” - Social Distortion
• “Save Yourself” - Stabbing Westward
• “The Ballroom Blitz” - Sweet
• “Perfect Wave” - The Beautiful Unknown (Formerly Barlow)
• “Keep Loving Me” - The Draytones
• “Waiting for Go” - The Dykeenies
• “Alive & Amplified” - The Mooney Suzuki
• “Great DJ” - The Ting Tings
• “Every Inambition” - The Trews
• “Animal I Have Become” - Three Days Grace
• “Play That Funky Music” - Wild Cherry

The game is due out November 14 for PC, PS2, PSP, PS3, DS, Wii and Xbox 360.

Ubisoft today announced the soundtrack for Shaun White Snowboarding, a new upcoming game built around the X-Games and Olympic gold medalist Shaun White.

Apparently, his love for classic rock played a role in inspiring the final list of songs for the game. Some of the artists include Kasabian, Audioslave, Heart, Blue Oyster Cult and Bob Dylan.

Below’s the full list:

• “The Press Corpse” - Anti-Flag
• “Gasoline” - Audioslave
• “Berlin” - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
• “Weapon of Choice” - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
• “Don’t Fear the Reaper” - Blue Öyster Cult
• “Hurricane” - Bob Dylan
• “Someday Baby” - Bob Dylan
• “Acceptable in the 80s” - Calvin Harris
• “Clean My Wounds” - Corrosion of Conformity
• “Time to Fly” - Dunk
• “We Come 1” - Faithless
• “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” - Gil Scott-Heron
• “Counting the Days” - Goldfinger
• “Jump into the Fire” - Harry Nilsson
• “Barracuda” - Heart
• “The Fashion (Do or Die)” - illScarlett
• “Anna Molly” - Incubus
• “White Rabbit” - Jefferson Airplane
• “Reason Is Treason” - Kasabian
• “Stuntman” - Kasabian
• “Cult of Personality” - Living Colour
• “Working for the Weekend” - Loverboy
• “Control” - Metro Station
• “Of Moons, Birds & Monsters” - MGMT
• “Time to Pretend” - MGMT
• “Dashboard” - Modest Mouse
• “Stompbox” - Overseer
• “Rock Box” - Run DMC
• “Ill Placed Trust” - Sloan
• “Ring of Fire” - Social Distortion
• “Save Yourself” - Stabbing Westward
• “The Ballroom Blitz” - Sweet
• “Perfect Wave” - The Beautiful Unknown (Formerly Barlow)
• “Keep Loving Me” - The Draytones
• “Waiting for Go” - The Dykeenies
• “Alive & Amplified” - The Mooney Suzuki
• “Great DJ” - The Ting Tings
• “Every Inambition” - The Trews
• “Animal I Have Become” - Three Days Grace
• “Play That Funky Music” - Wild Cherry

The game is due out November 14 for PC, PS2, PSP, PS3, DS, Wii and Xbox 360.

The epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time by late author Robert Jordan is being transferred to movies, according to VentureBeat, who reports that Red Eagle Entertainment, the company holding the media rights to the franchise, has formed Red Eagle Games to lead development on the games.

The company hopes to make a trilogy of films on which a trilogy of games will also be made. In addition, they plan on making a massively multiplayer online game based on the franchise’s universe.

Surprisingly, platforms were mentioned: all consoles, PC, handhelds and wireless platforms. Damn, that’s ambitious! No release dates were given though.

The epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time by late author Robert Jordan is being transferred to movies, according to VentureBeat, who reports that Red Eagle Entertainment, the company holding the media rights to the franchise, has formed Red Eagle Games to lead development on the games.

The company hopes to make a trilogy of films on which a trilogy of games will also be made. In addition, they plan on making a massively multiplayer online game based on the franchise’s universe.

Surprisingly, platforms were mentioned: all consoles, PC, handhelds and wireless platforms. Damn, that’s ambitious! No release dates were given though.

Mastiff today announced that its highly anticipated first-person shooter Moon is scheduled for release on the DS on January 13, delayed from its original date of November 18.

In development at Renegade Kid, the game is a sci-fi action title, placing gamers on the surface of the moon in the year 2058 when scientists have discovered a sealed, alien hatch during the construction of a new lunar base.

Visit the game’s website for more information.

Gamasutra reports that a keyboard peripheral for the PSP will be released within the next 12 months in North America. This comes from Sony senior marketing manager John Koller, who further added that the TV tuner for the portable won’t be making its way to the region, citing an incompatibility with the over-the-air broadcasting system in the country.

Koller also talked about the GPS peripheral, which is scheduled for release in the near future. He said that the device would let users be part of “mobile social communities”, making the portable a more social space.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Madden, Sony Computer Entertainment America and EA have announced the Madden NFL 09 PSP Entertainment Pack, a limited edition bundle that launches this August alongside the sports game. To retail for $199.99, the bundle will feature a limited edition “metallic blue” PSP with a copy of Madden NFL 09, “NFL: In Just One Play” on UMD, a PlayStation Network voucher to download Beats and a 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo.

“Sports games are one of the most popular types of games among PSP owners, and it was only natural to make our next PSP Entertainment Pack a sports-themed bundle,” said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President, Product Marketing, SCEA. “PSP continues to have great momentum in the marketplace. We expect that the Madden NFL 09 PSP Entertainment Pack will capitalize on this momentum and strengthen PlayStation’s presence in the sports genre.”

Conspiracy Entertainment sends word that they have secured the European publishing rights from NoWay Studio for C.O.R.E., the studio’s first-person shooter for the DS. Here’s the deal:

For the last 11 months, NoWay Studio has been busy pushing the limits of the Nintendo DS with amazing full 3D animations and visual effects. This “next generation” title is the first game to bring the FPS experience so familiar to PC gamers, to the Nintendo handheld gameing machine. The team have created a complex of buildings, underground passageways and chambers where players can roam freely battling with a variety of enemies and bosses. Each of the levels is introduced by an in-game movie setting out the objective ahead. Each building or tunnels complex can be completed in a variety of ways allowing the players to discover new weapons, passageways, hiding places and solutions each time the game is played.

As a marine, you are sent on a mission into the government C.O.R.E. lab complex. The complex was built on the site of a meteor which smashed into the desert some 20 years previously. The facility was built so that government scientists could investigate the impact; everything had been going to plan until 2 weeks ago when all contact was lost. Your mission to investigate why contact has been lost with the facility will be complex and dangerous; the lab covers many levels with offices above ground and chambers below dug deep into the desert bedrock.

The final solution will take place deep down underneath the earth where it is believed that the scientists tunnelled into the remains of the meteor itself. When you and your team reach the final level you will have to face a danger that is a threat for the whole of Mankind.

The game will feature full 3D action, various weapons, and multiplayer modes that make full use of DS networking supporting up to four players at once.

Square Enix has announced Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen, a remake of the classic SNES RPG for the DS. It is in development at Japanese studio ArtePiazza and will hit North America on September 16.

As expected, the remake features an overhauled 3D graphics engine, new quests and plot developments, as well as a revised battle system.

The publisher additionally put up a new Dragon Quest hub site that lists the logos and translated subtitled for two more DS remakes - Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Maiden and Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie.