Sega Europe sent out word that Football Manager 2008 will be released for the Xbox 360 this Spring. The upcoming installment in the renowned sports simulation series has been developed by Sports Interactive and is fully updated for the new season, including transfers being made in the mid-season stransfer window, allowing players to select their favorite club or international team and guide them to the title.

The game, as expected, will feature online play via Xbox Live, allowing players to challenge friends to one-on-one matches and even host tournaments. Football Manager 2008 will kick in to stores on March 28.

This forum post on the BeyondUnreal forums offers a look at changes planned for the first patch for Unreal Tournament 3, offering fixes in almost every part of the game. No release schedule was offered though.

In actual patch releases, a v8.0.1 update for Football Manager 2008 was released for both PC and Mac versions of the game. Grab them from Gamer’s Hell and Strategy Informer.

The full FIFA 08 soundtrack has been announced. This time around, the game will feature over 50 artists representing 27 countries. FIFA 08 marks the debut of new artists like The Hoosiers (UK), Babamars (France), Bodyrox (UK) and Santogold (USA).

So, without further ado, here’s the full list:

1. !!! - All My Heroes Are Weirdos
   
2. Apartment - Fall Into Place
   
3. Art Brut Direct Hit - It’s A Bit Complicated
   
4. Aterciopelados Paces - Oye
   
5. Babamars - The Core
   
6. Bodyrox feat. Luciana - What Planet You On?
   
7. Bonde do Role - Solta O Frango
   
8. CAMP - From Extremely Far Away
   
9. Carpark North - Human
   
10. CeU - Malemolencia
    
11. Cheb i Sebbah - Toura Toura: Nav Deep Remix
    
12. CSS - Off The Hook
    
13. Datarock - Fa-Fa-Fa
    
14. Digitalism - Pogo
    
15. Disco Esemble - We Might Fall Apart
    
16. Dover - Do Ya
    
17. Heroes & Zeroes - Into The Light
    
18. Ivy Queen - Que Lloren
    
19. Junkie XL - Clash
    
20. Jupiter One - Unglued
    
21. Kenna - Out of Control (State of Emotion)
    
22. K-Os - Born To Run
    
23. La Rocca - Sketches (20 Something Life)
    
24. Lukas Kasha - Love Abuse
    
25. Madness feat. Sway and Baby Blue - I’m Sorry
    
26. Maximo Park - The Unshockable
    
27. Melody Club - Fever Fever
    
28. Mexican Institute of Sound (MIS) - El Microfono
    
29. Modeselektor feat. Sasha Perera - Silikon
    
30. Hello Mom! - Germany
    
31. Noisettes - Don’t Give Up
    
32. Pacha Massive - Don’t Let Go
    
33. Peter Bjorn and John - Young Folks
    
34. Planet Funk - Static
    
35. Robyn Bum Like You
    
36. Rocky Dawuni - Wake Up The Town
    
37. Santogold - You Will Find A Way
    
38. Simian Mobile Disco - I Believe
    
39. Superbus - Butterfly
    
40. Switches - Drama Queen
    
41. The Automatic Automatic - Monster
    
42. The Cat Empire - Sly
    
43. The Hoosiers - Goodbye Mr. A
    
44. The Hours - Ali In The Jungle
    
45. The Tellers - More
    
46. Tigarah - Culture, Color, Money, Beauty
    
47. Travis - Closer
    
48. Tumi And The Volume - Afrique
    
49. Vassy - Wanna Fly
    
50. Wir Sind Helden - Endlich Ein Grund Zur Panik
    
51. Yonderboi - Were You Thinking Of Me?

With the game due out next month, Konami released further details regarding PES 2008, the highly anticipated entry in the football series. Here’s the whole deal:

Following the announcement of Cristiano Ronaldo as the European face of the new game, Konami has also extended the number of officially licensed national and club teams in the game. PES 2008 will boast more licenses than ever before, with Brazil, Portugal, Greece, Scotland and Ireland amongst the new officially licensed National teams on offer. Similarly, the roster of licensed club teams has also been bolstered, with Newcastle, Tottenham, RSC Anderlecht, HJK Helsinki, IFK Goteborg, Panathinaicos, Spartak Moscow, Fenerbache, NK Dinamo Zagreb and FC Basel amongst those added to the ranks.

The new licensed club sides join the likes of Juventus Turin, AC Milan, Celtic, Porto and more, and demonstrate Konami’s commitment to adding the world’s greatest teams to what is regarded as the most realistic football game for any system. The new teams also combine to ensure PES 2008 has over 3000 licensed players realistically replicated within the game, and over 250 teams.

PES 2008 will mark a quantum leap forward for the Pro Evolution Soccer series. An all-new AI system entitled Teamvision has been designed to actively monitor the player’s onscreen movements and adapt accordingly. This means players cannot resort to overly-familiar tactics, and forces them to change their movements if they are to pose offensive threats. New set pieces have also been implemented, with players selecting key players to receive free kicks, and tailoring defensive walls to their specific needs. Coupled with a massively enhanced aesthetic upgrade that includes facial animation and shirts creasing, plus an extensive edit mode, and PES 2008 is already shaping up to retain its footballing crown.

PES 2008 will be released for PS2, PSP, PS3, Xbox 360, PC and DS this October.

FIFA, EA and SCEE have announced the new season of the FIFA Interactive World Cup, the world’s only officially FIFA sanctioned global football gaming competition. Participants across the world will compete using FIFA 08 on the PS3.

The tournament will kick off early in October 27 and will culminate in the Grand Final in Berlin’s Sony Centre in May 2008. This year, players will be able to compete at one of more than 20 physical FIWC 08 Qualifier Events across the globe or online via the PlayStation Network in over 25 countries. Finalists will compete to be crowned the ultimate champion and win a cash prize of USD 20,000.

Interested players can find more details and register on the tournament’s official website.

At GC, Konami announced that it will be bringing its Pro Evolution Soccer series to the Wii, with a bespoke version of the game being developed for release on the platform in 2008.

Expected early next year, the Wii version of PES will offer the same level of realism that has become the hallmark of the series. It will make full use of the console’s motion-sensitive controllers, offering total control of every aspect of the players and their movements both on and off the ball.

“We are extremely keen to introduce PES to as wide a selection of football fans as possible, and the Wii and its unique abilities are a perfect fit,” commented Jon Murphy, Pro Evolution Soccer Team Leader for Konami. “The potential for PES on the format is enormous, and we look forward to a very exciting start to 2008.”

EA has unveiled plans for a new feature called Be a Pro: Online Team Play that will enable ten people anywhere in the world to connect online and play a single match of FIFA 08. The new feature will be offered as a free downloadable feature six to eight weeks after the game ships to stores for both the PS3 and Xbox 360. FIFA 08 will be available in Europe on September 28 and in North America on October 9.

Be A Pro: Online Team Play is the evolution of a new play mode featured in FIFA 08 called Be A Pro that locks you into the role of a single, fixed player the entire game and challenges you to master the same disciplines as a real football player-from positioning and tackling to reading the field and passing. Users receive real time feedback and analysis on the fly and a unique camera angle keeps both player and action in focus, zooming in when you’re on attack. Now in Be A Pro: Online Team Play, up to five friends on different consoles will be able to select and take control of their own individual players on the same team, supported by AI teammates, to play against up to five rivals of another team. Alternatively, online users can select to play with free roaming players, and teams can have a combination of both.

Additionally, the online feature set in the game includes Interactive Leagues where players represent their clubs online against rivals throughout the season in the F.A. Premier League, Bundesliga, French League or Mexican 1st Division. It also features weekly in-game podcasts by the development team.

FIFA 08 is also in development for the PC, PSP, Wii, DS and mobile.

Football fans can now look forward to Football Manager 2008, an upcoming entry in the footie simulation series, for PC and Mac this Christmas. The latest version will be fully updated for the new season and will allow players to select their favorite club or international team and guide them through Cup matches, Leagues, European Championships and even major international tournaments. It has been improved since the last game, thanks to fan feedback, resulting in over a hundred new features, including a brand new advisory system to help new players through the game.

More information after the jump. The official website also has further details.
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Konami sent out word that Michael Owen, the Newcastle and England striker, will be featured on the UK packaging and promotional materials of Pro Evolution Soccer 2008.

Owen will be featured alongside Ronaldo as they grace the covers of the game which launches on PS3, PS2, PSP, Xbox 360, PC and DS this Autumn.

“Securing Michael Owen is a real coup for Konami,” commented Jon Murphy, Pro Evolution Soccer Team Leader for Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH. “Since he burst on to the scene, he has proven himself an incredible goal-scorer, netting at every level both domestic and international. We are delighted to be working alongside such a talent on PES 2008.”

“PES 2008 is a fantastic game, and the only choice for pro players,” added Michael Owen. “It enjoys a brilliant reputation within many, many players and manages to be a true simulation of football while also being a real laugh to play. I look forward to working closely with Konami in the run up to launch, and being a key part of its development.”

To showcase 2K Sports’ All Pro Football 2K8, the company has announced a coast-to-coast tour that will feature DJ Z-Trip, one of the most celebrated DJs and producers who has also worked on the game’s soundtrack. Joining him for roughly two dozen dates are Aceyalone and Gift of Gab, both of which appear on the game, the CD of remixes, mash-ups and original material that DJ Z-Trip produced for the game.

In addition to the above artistes, Rakim and M-1 are also expected to make guest appearances along the tour route. Tour stops will also include kiosks with the game and a multimedia component to DJ Z-Trip’s performance that integrates some of the game’s most intense plays.

Below are the tour dates:

• Jul 23 Harlow’s Nightclub Sacramento, California
  
• Jul 24 The Independent San Francisco, California
  
• Jul 25 Hawthorne Theatre Portland, Oregon
  
• Jul 26 Last Supper Club Seattle, Washington
  
• Jul 28 Suedes Park City, Utah
  
• Jul 29 Fox Theatre Boulder, Colorado
  
• Jul 31 Logan Square Auditorium Chicago, Illinois
  
• Aug 01 Blind Pig Ann Arbor, Michigan
  
• Aug 02 Middle East Cambridge, Massachusetts
  
• Aug 03 Theatre of Living Arts (Filmore) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  
• Aug 04 Sonar Baltimore, Maryland
  
• Aug 05 Highline Ballroom New York, New York
  
• Aug 06 Konkrete Jungle Richmond, Virginia
  
• Aug 08 Higher Ground Burlington, Vermont
  
• Aug 09 Agora Cleveland, Ohio
  
• Aug 12 Shambhala Festival Salmo, British Columbia
  
• Aug 15 House of Blues Los Angeles, California
  
• Aug 16 Rialto Theatre Tucson, Arizona
  
• Aug 18 Elysium Austin, Texas
  
• Aug 19 Granada Theater Dallas, Texas
  
• Aug 21 Sunshine Theatre Albuquerque, New Mexico
  
• Aug 22 Brickhouse Phoenix, Arizona
  
• Aug 23 The Grove Anaheim, California
  
• Aug 25 Southern Comfort Festival San Diego, California

With the Leipzig convention just a month away, Konami has announced that it will be present at the show, presenting the PS3 version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 for the first time.

Visitors to the publisher’s booth will be one of the first few to experience the next-gen version of the popular football franchise. The company will also be showing off Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (PSP) and Silent Hill Origins (PSP).

Konami can be found during the GC from August 23-26 in Hall 4, booth B11.

Available in UK now is the Pro Evolution Soccer 6 Xbox 360 bundle from Microsoft and Konami. This limited-edition bundle is retailing for £300, offering a Premium Xbox 360 console, a Live Headset, 30-day trial membership to Xbox Live, Component HD AV Cable with SCART adapter, Ethernet cable, and finally, a copy of Pro Evolution Soccer 6.

1Up reports that Microsoft’s soccer-exclusivity announcement at the Leipzig Games Convention may not be so exclusive. Speaking with Pro Evolution Soccer producer/creator Shingo ‘Seabass’ Takatsuka, the reporter learned that Microsoft’s claims weren’t true: “We never said exclusive for one year on the next-gen platforms. We said this year. We were agreed that it was this year.”

As per Takatsuka, Pro Evolution Soccer is exclusive to Xbox 360 this year only and not the “twelve” months Microsoft announced. It may be the same with FIFA07, as sources are indicating so. However, an official comment from EA is yet to come.

EA has unveiled the next-gen version of FIFA 07, which is now exclusive to the Xbox 360 for a year. The next-gen version will use a dynamic new engine that has been in development for two years and is driven by physics and data. It will offer individuality of player movement, authentic athletic motion and an “unprecedented” level of responsiveness.

The new engine creates a decision-making layer in FIFA 07 that gives each individual player a ‘football brain’ - a level of intelligence never before seen in a videogame. Player characteristics are now based on brand-new traits and twice the number of attributes, so no two players move in exactly the same way. Instead, they behave like the individual athletes we see gracing the pitch week-in, week-out.

FIFA 07 allows players to recognize their favorite athletes by the way they move. The human biomechanics of each athlete are taken into account and replicated in the game because the new engine is data-driven — the player motion is driven by individual attributes, physical characteristics and for the first time, traits.

FIFA 07 also introduces new ball physics, a central component to the feel and finesse of a football game. For the first time, the ball is alive with its own independent physics, resulting in truly unpredictable gameplay. Now any type of pass or shot is possible and goals will feel natural and unique.

Bringing the football experience beyond the videogame to truly deliver a complete media package for football fans is the online component to FIFA 07 which streams up-to-the-minute match results via real-time podcasts and news ticker. Nowhere else will football fans find such a comprehensive destination for football stats, information and real-world news.

With this new engine and licenses from the top leagues around the world, FIFA 07 on the Xbox 360 will create the most refined football gameplay experience to date.

FIFA 07 will hit stores this Fall on the Xbox 360. It will also be released on a multitude of current-gen platforms as well.

The Leipzig Games Convention saw a surprise announcement from Microsoft: next-gen versions of FIFA 07 and Pro Evolution Soccer 6 will be exclusive to the Xbox 360 for the following twelve months. This means that the games will be appearing on current-gen consoles, but won’t be appearing on the PS3 or Wii for a year.

Though Nintendo’s Wii won’t be seeing any officially licensed football game in the next year, the company has announced a new version of Mario Strikers Charged, its own football franchise. The game will feature more team creation options than the original, and will also feature online multiplayer functions. Nintendo also announced Battalion Wars 2, cutely abbreviated “BWii”. A follow-up to Kuju’s action/strategy Gamecube title, the sequel will feature online multiplayer, new units, races, environments and will feature over 20 single-player missions and over 15 multiplayer missions.