The last time that odd inhabitant from Oddworld made an appearance was back in 2005 on the original Xbox. The time has come for them to return to the gaming space, as industry veteran and Maxis co-founder Jeff Braun has revealed that a new Oddworld game is in development at series creators Oddworld Inhabitants.

Speaking at Wilfrid Laurier University, Braun stated that the game would make use of a “revolutionary, cinematic quality” 3D animation system and that the game will be in episodic format, but that it is still years away from release.

“The rendering tools are getting so good now for 3D animation that you can literally create a linear animation and create a video game using the exact same objects,” Braun said. “The tools are finally getting to the level where we can come out with a show and we can come up with a game.”

No further information on the title was revealed.

This report reveals that SCi Entertainment, owner of publisher Eidos Interactive, is taking a loss in the operating fiscal 2008 year. It also discloses that the company does not think it can sell itself for its full value and is thus not holding any talks with potential suitors. However, the bigger news is that the company has pushed back the unannounced Tomb Raider game to this Holiday season

“By moving the release dates — including the new ‘Tomb Raider: Underworld’ game — into the more lucrative 2008 Christmas trading period the company said it would better optimize long term value,” reads the report. Tomb Raider: Underworld is expected to be released on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Not much is known about the game, but more information is expected soon.

Catering to die-hard Final Fantasy fans in Europe and other PAL territories, Square Enix has announced that it will release both Final Fantasy I and Final Fantasy II in the region on February 8, 2008 on the PSP.

The portable version of both games will retell their stories, as well as feature updates including redrawn graphics and character art, all-new dungeons, full widescreen visuals and an updated camera view.

Details on the story and the updated game can be read after the jump.
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The latest issue of PLAY magazine offers the world exclusive first look at Tomb Raider Underworld, the first next-gen entry in the tomb raiding franchise. Being worked on under the care of Crystal Dynamics, the studio behind the critically well-received Tomb Raider Legend, the game will be a “thrill ride for anyone new to the franchise,” according to the article. “The emphasis is on bringing Lara’s world to life, a lush, vast interactive world that reacts and remembers.”

Some of the major aspects of the game are going to be persistent environments where footprints will be left in mud, dead bodies and destruction will remain and more. A new “hybrid lighting model” was also developed for the game, which will also feature a more fluid Lara Croft, who will have “proper weight and secondary motion”, among other things.

Underworld is expected to be released sometime next year on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

10tacle and Kalypso UK announce that the latter will publish Jack Keane, the upcoming point n’ click adventure game, in Europe. The game is being scheduled for release during March 2008 and will pit players against a mad scientist and his army of trained apes in the role of the daring titular adventurer.

While talking to GameDaily BIZ, Microsoft corporate VP of marketing Jeff Bell revealed that Halo 3 has sold more than 5 million copies since the game’s release in September. The game totaled over 3 million copies in its first month according to sales figures from September.

Bell also noted that Mass Effect, BioWare’s Xbox 360-exclusive action-RPG, has also seen mass sales, shifting over 1 million copies within its first three weeks on the market.

Gamecock sent out word that it will publish Crackpot Entertainment’s action-adventure title Insecticide for the DS on February 12, 2008, with the first bisodic downloadable PC episode available soon after.

The game brings the gritty feel of old-school detective films on either platforms, having players embark on an adventure as rookie detective Chrys Lyst and take on the biggest case he has ever handled. It features interrogation, crime scene investigation, puzzle solving and various other gameplay devices.

Some new screenshots from Penumbra Black Plague that is scheduled for release during Q1 2008.

According to a comment post on the official PlayStation Blog, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune has gone gold and is definitely headed for its November 20 release date. “We went “gold” last week,” wrote Naughty Dog AI and animation programmer Christian Gyrling. “Right now the game is in other words 100% done and is currently going through the approval process.”

He also noted that a demo of the game will be available for download through the PlayStation Store sometime before the full game is released. No exact date was offered though.

Nintendo DS owners will get an adventure game next year, courtesy of Focus Home Interactive and Pendulo Studios who are bringing Runaway: The Dream of the Turtle to the dual-screened handheld. The portable version of the game will take full advantage of the platform’s touch-screen controls, and will feature a new graphical codec that offers over hour of animated sequences to further the plot.

The game will comprise of 6 chapters, 30 characters, up to 100 locations, an intuitive zoom system, a new navigation system and an integrated help system to solve the most difficult puzzles.

Runaway will be released in North America during Q2 2008.

Shacknews reports of a glitch in the retail copy of Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, which was released earlier this week. The bug prevents players from starting the PS3 game, depending on the contents stored on the console’s hard drive.

The game requires a brief setup procedure that copies files to the HDD; however, the glitch causes the game to read the drive as full and refuse to install. It can be overcome quite easily, though: just remove or add about 500MB of data to the hard drive and the problem will go away. This comes straight from Insomniac community manager James Stevenson. The report notes that it is easy, considering the amount of stuff available on the PlayStation Store.

Capcom announced that Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, the forthcoming game based on the adult swim show, has been pushed back from its November 13 release into sometime next year. This was confirmed by the company’s senior strategy director Christian Svensson in a forum post.

“The game is and has been finished, submitted and approved, however we felt releasing the game on the same day 112 other SKUs released was not ideal for its chances. Retail buyers agreed,” he wrote in the post. “As such, we’ve opted to move the title out into a slightly cleaner release window. This will allow us to get on more shelves, do a bit more outreach to the media and hopefully get the fans in on the action a bit more.”

The game will be out on the PS2, PSP and Wii. The PlayStation versions will cost $29.99, with the Wii going for $39.99. All versions are identical, bar customized controls for the Wii’s motion-sensitive controllers.

Turning more books into video games is Codemasters, who announced a deal with The Templar Company that will see them creating a series of games based on the 14-million selling ‘Ology series of books.

The deal will see best sellers Dragonology, Wizardology and Pirateology realized as games for the Wii and DS. The Wii versions will be focused on action gaming, while the DS versions will feature explorative gameplay in the form of an interactive book.

Dragonology is the first title in the series and is expected to launch during the second half of 2008.

Paradox Interactive announced Penumbra: Black Plague, a sequel to the horror adventure, which is being billed as the final chapter in the series. Set for release during Q1 2008, the game will further the story and will feature enhanced gameplay.

“Penumbra: Overture has been referred to as the scariest adventure game to appear in years, and with Penumbra: Black Plague, the developers have managed to push the boundaries of psychological horror even further, said Fredrik Wester, Executive Vice President of Paradox Interactive. “Their unique and innovative approach to gaming adventures made Penumbra a fan and media favorite and we are convinced that Penumbra: Black Plague will have an even bigger impact on the gaming community”.

“Penumbra: Black Plague is horrific, life-like, interactive and unique and we are thrilled to be working with Paradox Interactive to introduce this game to a worldwide audience, said Jens Nilsson, Co-Founder Frictional Games”. “We’ve worked with Paradox in the past and their support for our vision and ideas has made it possible for us to keep on developing games that we believe in.”

Shacknews carries confirmation from SCEA line producer Sam Thompson that Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune will ship for the PS3 on November 20. In development at Naughty Dog, famous for their Jak and Daxter franchise, the game is supposedly 80% complete.

Thompson also hinted that Uncharted could likely be the first in an ongoing series, if the studio’s history indicates anything.