2K Sports has announced that the cover athlete for NBA 2K9 will be revealed through a 30 second TV spot scheduled to air during the NBA Countdown pre-game show for Game One of the 2008 NBA Finals, June 5 on ABC.

As part of the event, the publisher has set up a community website where registered participants can register and predict the cover athlete for the game from a roster of 16 NBA candidates. Those who predict correctly will be entered into a special drawing for the opportunity to win exclusive prizes.

“We’re extremely excited to offer this online promotion to our loyal community of 2K Sports fans, as we think it’s a fantastic opportunity for us to interact more closely with them through a refreshingly fun and rewarding experience,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “The NBA 2K franchise is king among basketball players and passionate fans who know and understand basketball. Revealing our cover athlete prior to Game One affords us a unique opportunity to capitalize on the anticipation surrounding the NBA Finals while simultaneously generating excitement for the release of NBA 2K9.”

The game, in development at Visual Concepts, will be released for the PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360 this Fall.

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.

SCEA announced that it has signed Philadelphia Phillies All-Star first basemen Ryan Howard as the cover athlete for MLB 08 The Show, the upcoming installment in the baseball series for the PS2, PSP and PS3. Here’s the scoop:

Known for his prolific power and ability to drive in runs, Howard is just the second player in Major League Baseball history to win the Rookie of the Year honors and a Most Valuable Player award in successive seasons. During his 2006 MVP season, Howard led the Major Leagues in home runs (58), which broke the record for most home runs in a sophomore season set in 1947 by Ralph Kiner (51), won the All-Star Game Home Run Derby with a total of 23 blasts, and was the 2006 National League Hank Aaron Award recipient, the award given to the top hitter in each league.

Last season, while helping lead the Phillies to the 2007 National League Division Series against the Colorado Rockies by muscling out 47 home runs and driving in 136 runs, Howard became the fastest player in MLB history to hit 100 home runs. The record-breaking accomplishment was achieved in only 325 games, 60 less than the 385 games that Ralph Kiner needed to hit his first 100 home runs from 1946 to 1948.

The game is due out early this year and will build upon the series by including new features such as the Road to the Show mode, as well as custom characters and more.

The official box art for FIFA Street 3 has been revealed - it features football superstars Ronaldinho, Peter Crouch and Gennaro Gattuso all posing for the camera.

The stylized versions of these players have been used on the cover to signify the game’s distinct playing styles - Tricksters, Playmakers, Finishers and Enforcers - according to EA.

“FIFA Street 3 is about turning football icons into eye-popping characters through the game’s stylized art direction for an over-the-top arcade soccer experience,” said producer Joe Nickolls. “Ronaldinho, Crouch and Gattuso represent three of the different types of players available in our game and we were able to exaggerate their qualities to really create larger-than-life characters.”

The game is due out on PS3, Xbox 360 and DS on February 15, 2008 in Europe and in North America on February 18.

A free downloadable feature for NBA LIVE 08 has been pushed out, adding online team play to the basketball game. This update enables 10 people on 10 different consoles anywhere in the world to connect online to play a single match. The new feature is automatically available to all PS3 users and will be released for the Xbox 360 later this month.

Removing the need to use artificial intelligence in online matches, the update allows the players to control the athletes on-screen. This mode can be enjoyed using fewer friends from one to five in which case the CPU takes control of any players not controlled by the users.

SCEA has officially announced MLB 08: The Show, the next entry in their internally developed baseball game. Set for release during Spring 2008, the game is being made exclusively for the PS2, PSP and PS3, and will feature various enhancements and new features to make it a worthwhile upgrade. Here’s the scoop:

To deliver the closest experience possible, next to actually trying to make it in the Majors, MLB 08 THE SHOW introduces a more immersive Road to The Show mode. As gamers attempt to make a starting line-up in the Big Leagues, playing on both offense and defense from a custom-created player’s perspective, a more robust dynamic goal system and a new career advancement system will determine when a player is eligible for a promotion. Additionally, custom-created players are more interactive. As a position player, gamers will be able to further adjust that players positioning, catchers will endure more defense situations, and pitchers will now experience mound visits with user interaction - all making Road to The Show mode even more realistic.

As the only first party franchise officially licensed by Major League Baseball Properties Inc. (MLBP), Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), MLB 08 THE SHOW features more than 3,000 individual player animations, including personalized stances, pitching animations, individual swings, batting rituals and motion captures from MLB® players. Additionally, the franchise adds to the realism by including Umpire Personalities combined with Interactive Hot and Cold Zones and Player-scaled Strike Zones, Release Point Pitching combined with Adaptive Pitching Intelligence (API) and the Pitch Command System (PCS), and the most comprehensive commentary ever produced for a sports title, featuring the three-man booth of Rex Huddler, Matt Vasgerian and Dave Campbell.

Providing players with some additional performance incentives, the MLB franchise introduces the new Progressive Batting Performance feature, which will both reward players for superior performance and penalize them for hitting slumps. Specific to each individual batter, players will be rewarded with slight contract bonuses, or punished with slight decreases in contract, based on how that batter that performs beyond his “natural ability” while under user control. Adding to the online feature set, which includes customizable Online League Play with up to 30 teams, scrolling MLB Score Ticker and more, MLB 08 THE SHOW introduces SCOUT (SportsConnect Online User Tracking), which allows gamers to set and store their game preferences on the MLB server, and then enables the system to look for a Quick Match with opponents that fit similar competitive criteria.

The game also features Pitcher/Batter analysis, both in-game and post game, offering a breakdown of how a batter performed based on LHP or RHP, pitch type and the result. MLB 08 will also let players use custom soundtracks in case they do not like the provided tracks. Finally, the game will feature various multiplayer modes and support for EyeToy.

Hoping to knock out the competition, 2K Sports has announced the Spring 2008 release of Don King Presents: Prizefighter, an upcoming boxing simulation, for the DS, Wii and Xbox 360.

“The combination of real-life fight scenarios, story-driven gameplay and photo-realistic graphics will set this title apart from the competition,” said Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K. “Our goal has always been to deliver the most engaging and realistic titles, and Don King Presents: Prizefighter will exceed these expectations. Based on the game’s innovative features and high-profile fighters, this title will be a ‘must have’ for any sports gamer.”

It is being developed by Venom Games, who are hoping to deliver the realism of live-action match-ups and the tactics of boxing. Players will be charged with building the career of their boxers, balancing between training and promotion, and other stuff related to boxing.

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.

2K Sports has announced that College Hoops 2K8 will contain 90 classic teams for gamers to play. The game will offer historically famed college teams as well as current favorite ones; out of the 90 classic teams, 69 will consist of teams from years past including the 1982 North Carolina Tarheels to the 1990 Loyola Marymount Lions. Additionally, gamers can choose to play from six all-time conference teams or 15 all-time school teams.

The game will be out later this month on PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Sierra Online sent out word that a premium upgrade subscription is no longer required to play through Freestyle Street Basketball, a MMO sports game that is now completely free. The game offers 45 levels of basketball action, having players meet up on virtual courts to challenge each other in dynamic pick-up games. It features cutting-edge music, latest fashions and various basketball moves.

EA today officially announced FIFA Street 3, the third installment in the street football series. The game will feature a new look that turns today’s global football icons into action heroes; it will also offer a simplified control system, allowing players to easily perform over-the-top trick moves. It is in development at EA Canada and is scheduled for release in Spring 2008 on PS3 and Xbox 360.

Featuring over 250 of the world’s best players representing 18 of the top international teams, each player has been rendered into a stylized caricature with heroic qualities. Decked out in authentic training kits, every player boasts their own, distinctive style of play with unique abilities to match. Whether you’re after brawn, brains, silky skills or crunching tackles to complete your team, the perfect street player is out there. Choose from Tricksters, Enforcers, Playmakers and Finishers to give you different options on the ball and make your mark on the street.

Using the same engine as the critically acclaimed NBA STREET Homecourt basketball arcade game, combined with the market-leading AI from FIFA 08, FIFA Street 3 delivers animations and ball control that enables you to take complete control of your players with a responsive and intuitive control system that makes it easier than ever to pull off sensational moves. Use the simple button configuration and analog stick to seamlessly combine moves - providing you with hundreds of different ways to show off your street skills. Fill up your all-new Game Breaker to power your ultimate abilities and express yourself like never before. Maneuver your players to leap past defenders, flip off walls, or perform gravity-defying one-timers to score spectacular goals.

From the urban playgrounds of South America to the rooftops in Asia to the streets of Europe, your players perform to an eclectic selection of music seamlessly infused into the surroundings, where the game’s environments pulsate, and explode to life with every well-timed tackle, outrageous trick move or unstoppable shot on goal.

Below are the first screenshots from the game. Check them out:

Sega announced that a unique series of “Dream Events” will be available in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, which will be both single and multiplayer-based. The Dream Events are colorful game-like universes that include objects and power-ups that can empower the player, or bring the opponent down. There will be four of them:

• Dream Race (Sandhill Race Course) - Get on your marks for this intense power-up filled race course, made for either one player, or as many as four.

• Dream Platform (Tropical Reef Diving Area - 10,000M Diving) - More like skydiving, soar through hoops and perform aerial tricks while avoiding obstacles and opponents to reach the finish line first.

• Dream Fencing (Duel Wharf Fencing Beach) - With unique special attacks for each character, this jungle-inspired world offers the ultimate duel.

• Dream Table Tennis (Speed Rally Table Tennis Stadium) - A sci-fi wonderland, this magical table tennis extravaganza offers a special ability for each character - so move fast!

EA Sports, in conjunction with NBA, have launched an online contest to design a new jersey to be featured in NBA LIVE 09. Users can create their own NBA team jerseys using various assets from all 30 NBA teams as well as custom shapes, numbers and text with the “Jersey Creator” tool. The winning entry will featured in the upcoming game.

Winners will be determined based on creativity, talent and originality; last date for entries is November 16. Other contest prizes for two runners-up include an autographed Gilbert Arenas jersey and video game “library” packages.

A new trailer for Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 was released to celebrate the Rugby World Cup. It’s hilarious.

2K Sports has announced new features for College Hoops 2K8, its upcoming entry in the annual college basketball series. Here’s the deal:

In the All-American Training Challenge, players will be able to improve their game skills by competing in passing, shooting, and defensive tests against former college basketball standouts like Mike Conley Jr. of Ohio State, Julian Wright of Kansas, Glen “Big Baby” Davis of LSU, Alando Tucker of Wisconsin, Al Thornton of Florida State, J.J. Redick of Duke, and College Hoops 2K8 cover athlete, Greg Oden of Ohio State. Gamers can progress through the challenge drills against these great players while tracking their best times and highest scores in the game. With multiplayer support for up to four players, gamers can compete against their friends to see who has the best College Hoops skills.

College basketball fans will truly feel the benefit of playing in front of a frenzied crowd-be it at home or in a neutral tournament venue-with the 6th Man Advantage where the energy of a team’s fans can motivate a team to play harder and with more confidence. During a game, the 6th Man Meter measures the current energy and excitement level of the crowd. By scoring often, playing good defense, and raising the excitement level of the crowd, the 6th Man Meter will rise. Once the meter is full, the home team will gain the advantage of playing with less fatigue for a brief period while the opposing team will start to lose confidence in their playing ability. The 6th Man Advantage delivers a realistic element with how a great crowd can inspire their team to victory.

The game will be out this Fall on PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360.