Blizzard's lenghty presentation of StarCraft II at the Worldwide Invitational event in Korea last month was probably the best publicity they could generate for BlizzCon 2007 - their next fan gathering, to be held on US soil between August 3-4 (in Anaheim, California). Even at $100 per ticket, the show became sold-out in just three days after tickets went on sale earlier this month. And perhaps they would've sold faster still, had Blizzard confirmed sooner that StarCraft II would be playable at BlizzCon 2007. Indeed! As announced on the event's official website, attendants will already be able to play the first public multiplayer demo of StarCraft II:

"Visitors to BlizzCon 2007 will be treated to the first-ever public hands-on with StarCraft II. Demo stations will be set up at the convention, and attendees can sample the new units and gameplay elements for themselves in multiplayer battles. We're excited to offer this exclusive opportunity to our players, and look forward to seeing you at BlizzCon."

And apparently there's still hope for a few more fans to attend this year's BlizzCon, thanks to some fansites who are still holding contests for extra tickets. You can find the links on Blue's News, if you're feeling lucky. I, for one, am just feeling curious as to what other surprises might Blizzard have in store for the event...

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Contra 4 Confirmed - And Detailed - For Nintendo DS

This past weekend brought great news for fans of Konami's Contra games, as the publisher announced - or rather confirmed - that it plans to continue the 20-years old series on the Nintendo DS, with Contra 4 (working title), developed by WayForward Technologies. Even though they don't have a final title for it, and the only release date announced so far is a vague "2007", they were more than willing to share plenty of details about the game. So let's start with the "story":

"Contra 4 takes place two years after the events of Contra III: The Alien Wars. After saving earth from invasion by Red Falcon, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean are confronted with a new extraterrestrial menace: the terrifying Black Viper. Joined by hard-boiled mercenaries Mad Dog and Scorpion, the warriors must once again wage war against an entire army of invaders."

Gameplay wise, Contra 4 will use both screens for the core action, "giving players the opportunity to battle across expansive environments in which death can come from any direction", and also allowing for "massive boss battles as players try to seek and destroy the weak points of sky-high enemies". But more importantly, Contra 4 also introduces a grappling hook accessory - a first for the series. With it, players can grab onto elements of the environment, but apparently only if they are directly above them (so no crazy ninja-roping a la Worms).

Naturally, Contra 4 will also benefit from the wonders of handheld multiplayer, by letting two players battle together against Black Viper's army of vile alien forces and reclaim Earth for mankind. Sounds simple enough.

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Yep, you read that right. I checked the announcement twice, just to be sure, and there's no doubt about it: one of BioWare's super-secret RPG projects is actually a Sonic the Hedgehog game they're developing on the Nintendo DS. So not only is it based on an external franchise that goes completely against BioWare's legacy of deep role-playing games, but it's even a *gasp* handheld game. Blasphemy!... That's probably the best word for derscribing this story, despite the very high likelyhood that it could actually turn out to be a great game. Relatively speaking.

The only other thing we know about the yet-to-be-titled Sonic DS RPG, at this point, is that SEGA plans to release it during 2008. Oh, and apparently they're big fans of Sonic over at BioWare, all of a sudden. How convenient!

"As huge fans of Sonic ourselves, we're committed to delivering a truly amazing story-driven experience within the Sonic universe, focusing on capturing the character's broad appeal and placing him in a completely original adventure", said Ray Muzyka, CEO of BioWare.

In other, more supersonic news, SEGA also announced that a Sonic Rivals 2 sequel prequel will be speeding on the PlayStation Portable this autumn. A revamped rival "jostling" gameplay system, upgraded power-ups and range weapons, a brand new Battle mode, 6 different multiplayer challenges, new playable characters (including Miles "Tails" Prower), a new single player Free Play mode, and 150 collectable cards to trade and collect - these are the main features outlined so far. And finally, the local gallery hosts the first Sonic Rivals 2 screenshots.

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Manhunt 2 Banned In The UK, Self-Censored In The US // UPDATE

Jack Thompson must be a happy, happy little attorney right about now, because his dream of seeing Manhunt 2 banned has come to fruition this week. For the first time in the last ten years, the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) has practically banned a game in the UK, by refusing Manhunt 2 a rating - and thus making it illegal to be sold in the territory. The same verdict was also dictated in Ireland by the Irish Film Censor's Offices, who believes that the "level of gross, unrelenting and gratuitous violence" in Manhunt 2 is simply "unacceptable".

"Manhunt 2 is distinguishable from recent high-end video games by its unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone in an overall game context which constantly encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing", BBFC's statement reads. "There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game."

The statement only referrs to the PS2 and Wii versions of Rockstar's killing-spree game (not the PSP version... yet). It also mentions that this is the first video game to be refused a classification since Carmageddon in 1997, when that decision was overturned on appeal by the game's publisher, SCi. Similarly, Rockstar / Take-Two also have the right to appeal the board's decision, but such an announcement has not been made as of yet.

Rockstar's only reaction so far was to state they are "disappointed" by this decision, with which they "emphatically disagree", arguing that:

"Manhunt 2 is an entertainment experience for fans of psychological thrillers and horror. The subject matter of this game is in line with other mainstream entertainment choices for adult consumers."

But worst of all for Take-Two is that Manhunt 2 is now also as-good-as-banned in the US, too. After the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) gave the game an "Adults Only" rating, both Sony and Nintendo confirmed that their policy does not allow third-party AO-rated games to be released on their consoles. So no more Manhunt 2 for Wii, PS2, or PSP!

With such a strong and unanimous position against the game, GI.biz comes to the obvious conclusion: Rockstar is WAY out of line this time!

"In making such a game Rockstar has been juvenile, shameful and irresponsible. The right of creators to push the boundaries of media and society must be balanced out against a simple sense of social responsibility - something with Rockstar seems to entirely lack."

UPDATE: "[Take-Two] has temporarily suspended plans to distribute Manhunt 2 for the Wii or PlayStation platforms while it reviews its options with regard to the recent decisions made by the BBFC and ESRB", the publisher said in a written statement. [23.06.2007, 16:30]

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Valve's Steam platform has really come a long way since its first commercial release in March 2004. From that dreadful system which prevented so many from playing their more-or-less-legit copy of Half-Life 2, slowly but surely, it's now turned into a great tool for gamers, indie developers and big publishers alike, gathering more than 13 million accounts. With an increasing number of games - old and brand-spanking-new - and a solid set of features, not to mention the recent free releases (Half-Life 2: Deathmatch + Lost Coast and RACE: Caterham), could things get any better?...

Apparently they can. Just a couple of days ago, the folks from Bizarre Creations released the Windows XP version of Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved on Steam, for $2.50 (although, starting tomorrow, the game will be priced at $3.95). Geometry Wars is now also available as part of a new "Best of the Underground" compilation, which also include Ragdoll Kung Fu, eets, and Gumboy: Crazy Adventures. And in couple of weeks or so, Valve will enhance its digital distribution platform with the largest update to date.

"Beginning in July, Steam users can set up their own personal Steam pages and profiles, create and join groups, schedule games with friends, review who they've played with, see how well everyone played, chat with groups, chat via voice, and more. These new community services and features can be used with all Steam games, which include new releases and classic titles from leading publishers and independent developers."

Valve's announcement also states that all these new features will be free of charge, and Gabe Newell further teases us, adding that "this latest update is just the start", and that they have "a long list of items that we're working on to make it easier for gamers to connect and play games on Steam". Keep 'em coming!

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Piranha Bytes And Deep Silver (Re)unite For Non-Gothic Game

Piranha Bytes' collaboration with their main publisher, JoWooD, ended in a silent mess last month, when it was announced that the creators of the Gothic role-playing franchise would not be making Gothic 4 (nor any Gothic 3 add-on, for that matter). They are, however, working on a completely new project, together with their newfound partner: Deep Silver - who previously co-published Gothic 3, and is a publishing label of the Koch Media group (much like JoWooD, ironically enough).

"We came to appreciate Koch Media as a competent, reliable and strong partner during the development of Gothic 3. We look forward to continuing and extending our cooperation with them with our work on a new joint title", says Michael Rüve, Commercial Manager for Piranha Bytes. (ed. - our bolding)

Just to make sure that this "new joint title" is by no means another Gothic game, Eurogamer got in touch with a Deep Silver spokesperson, who stated:

"We aren't speaking about Gothic 4 at all, as it isn't a game that will be released by Piranha Bytes; we are speaking about a new project. It will be something that takes advantage of the know-how and knowledge of previous Piranha Bytes games. We expect to have details in roughly a month's time."

So hopefully we'll have more on this in a month's time. Roughly.

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Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command Announced For PSP, DS

The Nintendo DS or Sony's PlayStation Portable were among the last platforms we would have expected to play host to Games Workshop's hardcore universe, Warhammer 40,000. But they are, and there's no denying it, now that THQ has announced the first W40K title for these two handheld consoles. It's called Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command, and it's coming in autumn 2007. But what could possibly be the reasoning behind this most unlikely match-up? Well, here's what Bob Aniello (THQ's senior vice president of worldwide marketing) had to say:

"Bringing the Warhammer 40,000 universe to handheld systems creates exciting new game play options for fans across the globe. An all-new single-player storyline and the ability to battle head-to-head with anyone in the world make this an exciting addition to the Warhammer 40,000 library."

Granted, these first PSP screenshots are depicting a brutal enough game, one that will combine action-packed combat with good-old turn-based strategy. In Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command, gamers will play as the elite Space Marines of the Ultramarines chapter and strive to combat the encroaching evil of the daemonic forces of Chaos through 13 cinematically-tied missions. With a robust multiplayer mode featuring 9 unique missions, gamers will team up to go head-to-head with other players worldwide as either the Imperium of Man or Chaos.

The game promises to ensure hours of replayability, and to fully utilize all the portable functionality of the PSP and DS - including the latter's dual-screen and stylus.

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RACE: Caterham Launches Early - And Free! - On Steam

Valve's digital distribution platform just gets better and better! After they spoiled us with the free re-release of Half-Life 2: Deathmatch and Half-Life 2: Lost Coast for Radeon graphics cards owners (story), today they are offering us yet another freebie on Steam. This time it's the RACE: Caterham expansion pack, which we weren't expecting to appear until June 22. But here it is, and if you have the original RACE: The WTCC Game, you'd better start downloading while you can - 'cause it ain't gonna last forever!

As Valve's Doug Lombardi informs us, this special offer is only available this week between June 18-22, after which Caterham will be available for purchase on Steam for $4.95. Or, if you don't have the original game yet, RACE and the Caterham expansion will also be available together for $24.95.

"The decision to give away the full Caterham Expansion is our way of thanking our loyal fans", said Henrik Roos, CEO of SimBin Studios. "This limited time offer is a tribute to the entire community, many of whom have been actively playing our games since the release of our first title, GTR, in 2004."

Celebrating the 50 year anniversary of Caterham Cars Ltd., players now have the opportunity to expand their WTCC experience and race these exceptional classic sportscars. RACE: Caterham introduces a total of 60 individual new cars / car skins based on some of the most exciting models of the Caterham sports car range, including the Caterham CSR 200, CSR 260 or the CSR 320 Concept, a concept version with a grueling 320hp. Racers can run the cars on two exciting new tracks: the legendary circuit of Imola and the former GP-track of Estoril.

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Tomb Raider: Anniversary Goes Episodic On Xbox 360

Eidos have finally dropped the "no comment" act today, as they confessed their plans to release Tomb Raider: Anniversary on the Xbox 360 later this year. This goes to confirm earlier rumours sparked by an unexpected ESRB listing clearly showing five different TRA titles for the Xbox 360, and implying that Lara Croft's latest adventure was being reworked in an episodic format for Microsoft's console. Which also turns out to be true!

The Xbox 360 version will comprise four episodes, split in two sets. The first one - containing Episode 1 & 2 - should be released via Xbox Live in September, with the next two episodes set to follow "shortly afterwards". Just how shortly, we don't know yet, but Eidos did say that they also plan to release a full retail version of Tomb Raider: Anniversary for the Xbox 360 before the end of 2007.

Regardless of which set of episodes they buy, players will be able to download the Croft Manor level free of charge, and the total price for all four episodes - Peru, Lost City, Greece and Egypt - will be 2400 Microsoft points ($30 / €28.8 for the whole thing). However, there's a catch... In order to access the TRA downloadable content for Xbox 360, players will require a Tomb Raider Legend disc!

Later on, Eidos plans to offer fans even more content on the Xbox Live Marketplace, such as picture packs and theme packs featuring the voluptuous Lara - arguably the world's greatest action heroine.

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Indiana Jones Returns In 2008 With New Movie, Games etc.

All our hopes to play a new Indiana Jones game this year have now officially gone down the drain, as Lucasfilm announced today that the next Indy movie will premiere on May 22, 2008. And we certainly don't expect them to ruin any surprises in advance. As expected, the latest cinematographic adventures of "the world's greatest action hero" will be accompanied by all sorts of money-milking products, via new licensing agreements with all sorts of companies, the most important one (for us) being the LucasArts gaming division.

The communique mentions that LucasArts will continue the franchise with "breakthrough Indiana Jones video games that will allow players to 'live' all-new Indy adventures" - such as the next-gen Indiana Jones game for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Some of the other companies involved include Hasbro (for action figures, vehicles and other "real-life" games), LEGO, Hallmark, Burger King and MARS.

"It's been 19 years since the last film and we are sensing a huge pent-up demand for everything Indy", said Howard Roffman, President of Lucas Licensing. "We're delighted that blue chip companies like these want to be part of the incredible experience of bringing Indy back to the big screen and introducing him to a whole new generation."

"The people who grew up with Indiana Jones have become today's parents", Roffman continued. "If our experience with Star Wars is any guide, we think they'll want to introduce their kids to Indy and share this great new adventure together."

The new Indiana Jones movie begins production this month under Steven Spielberg's direction, and it will star Harrison Ford (naturally), Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone and John Hurt. Frank Marshall returns as producer with George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy as executive producers.

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