The PSP exclusivity of the Medal of Honor Heroes sub-series will end just as fast as it began, with the second instalment announced late last week by Electronic Arts, logically titled Medal of Honor Heroes 2. Apart from Sony's portable console, this new World War II shooter will also be released on the Wii, this holiday season.

This time around, the mandatory single-player campaign will place you in the boots of OSS Operative John Berg, as you will infiltrate Normandy from behind enemy lines to undermine the Nazi regime.

The thing that Medal of Honor Heroes 2 seems to be most proud of is the online multiplayer mode, with continuous-joining battles for a maximum of 32 players (even on the Wii, in theory), who will be able to jump into the fight at any time. Over on the Wii, the game will also enjoy (or suffer from...) another single-player mode, that plays like an old-school rail shooter: you are walked through the level automatically, so that all you need to worry about is targeting and shooting.

Speaking of targeting and shooting, the Wii version also boasts full support for the Wii Zapper - the new Wiimote + Nunchuck combo announced by Nintendo at E3. Wii Zapper is trying hard to look like a firearm, and it will be useable just as well in Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, for instance.

P.S. The name itself, Wii Zapper, is not final. Maybe they'll call it "Pew-pew", or "Pii-pii", or something.

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Looks like Rockstar really didn't think much of the new mini-E3, because today they have announced yet another game that will be transferred from one console to another / others. This time it's Bully, also known as Canis Canem Edit, which used to be a scandal topic mostly before, than after it was released on the PS2 last year. The game will also reach the Xbox 360 and Wii consoles this winter, under the title Bully: Scholarship Edition, and boasting some sort of additional new content. The press release doesn't go into any detail about this "additional new content", but we can imagine at least better graphics on the Xbox 360, and modified controls for the Wii.

"Bully: Scholarship Edition takes place in the fictional New England boarding school of Bullworth Academy, and tells the story of 15-year-old Jimmy Hopkins as he experiences the highs and lows of adjusting to a new school. Capturing the hilarity and awkwardness of adolescence perfectly, Bully: Scholarship Edition pulls the player into its cinematic and engrossing world. Universally acclaimed upon first release, Bully: Scholarship Edition is a genre-crossing action game with a warmth and pathos that is unrivaled."

For now, that's pretty much all that Rockstar has to say about Bully's scholarship edition, only adding that enrollment commences this winter, and leaving us to thoroughly study the official website.

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Last year, Rockstar proved that they're well capable of launching peaceful games as well, and that there's no need for controversies just to get our attention. Table Tennis for the Xbox 360 was the exception from the rule, a game as atypical for them, as appreciated by the fans, who have since been begging for a Wii version. We won't waste any more time wondering what took them so long to start making it happen (seeing how Nintendo's console is the perfect choice for a ping-pong game), but we're just glad they eventually did it.

So, one of the first games to be announced after last week's show is Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis for Wii. Development is being done by Rockstar Leeds in collaboration with Rockstar San Diego, who are promising to once again deliver "a game that is beautifully designed and impossible to put down".

Aside from the fact that it will - obviously - utilize the motion-sensitive Wii Remote, and that it will offer an intuitive gameplay based on an authentic physics engine, there wasn't anything else said about the new Table Tennis. However we do expect it to be much more than the simplistic ping-pong minigame included in the Wii Play package, at the launch of Nintendo's playful console. And until this autumn, when Table Tennis for Wii is planned for release, I'm more than happy with Wii Tennis, too.

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Vigil Reveals Second Project - Darksiders: Wrath of War

Vigil Games (not to be confused with Sigil) became a newsworthy topic earlier this year, when their bosses from THQ announced that Warhammer 40,000 MMO. Back then it was already known that the young Vigil studio was also working on another original project, but it was this month's E3 that revealed in more detail. The game in question is Darksiders: Wrath of War, an action-adventure announced only for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles so far, with a tentative release date set for 2008.

Like with their other project, Vigil will have the works of comic book artist Joe Madureira (X-Men, Battle Chasers, The Ultimates) to guide them in the development of Darksiders.

"Joe Madureira has created a classic story of exploration and revenge and we've used that as the foundation for ultimate sword-clashing, rocket-firing, super hero adventure", said David Adams, general manager at Vigil Games and former director over at NCsoft, adding: "With Darksiders: Wrath of War we want gamers to step into the role of WAR and feel the ultimate power of being one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse."

This demi-god of war role the player will have is not the only thing that might remind us of the famous God of War series, since there also seem to be other similarities in Darksiders - such as the "fiery trail" effect left by the sword, or some massive demons (bosses?) that appear in the E3 2007 trailer.

Still, Darksiders will go further and will give players not only mythical weapons, but also a modern, if not sci-fi arsenal (see this screenshot for a quad-barreled sample of eloquence). The action will be set in an apocalyptical open-world, and the game promises to feature "a deep yet easy to control combat system". Plus, of course, jaw-dropping graphics.

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As said as done (or as promised as announced), GSC Game World indeed revealed a new S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game at last week's E3. However, the new game will not continue the original, but will precede it in the same bizarre Zone formed around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. And unlike the original, it seems we won't have to wait another four years for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky - as they call it - because the prequel was promised for release in early 2008 already.

Along with the announcement, the Ukrainians offered the first four S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky screenshots, depicting a less serene atmosphere than suggested by the title, and better described on the game's website.

Shortly put, the story in Clear Sky takes place one year before Shadow of Chernobyl, when the first group of stalkers reached the nuclear plant, marking the beginning of a series of cataclysmic explotions and anomalies that would change the Zone and shake the fragile balance of forces in the Zone. As a mercenary, the player will have to play the key role in the events, which led to creation of the Zone up to the point from which the original game begins.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky will of course introduce new locations, such as Red Forest, Limansk or Pripyat Undergrounds, once again giving players the possibility to join any faction and lead it to victory. Other additions include a new system of upgrades (and repairs) for weapons and armor, reworked HUD and PDA, an advanced A-Life simulation system, completed by a new version of the game engine (X-Ray 1.5) with DirectX 10 support and improved rendering under DirectX 9. Let's just hope it comes out when they say it will, this time.

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F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate Expansion Set For PC, Xbox 360

Also from the realm of action on the PC and Xbox 360, this year's modest E3 brought news of a new F.E.A.R. follow-up, taking a slightly different form on the two platforms. Over on the PC, the second expansion will be called F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate, while Xbox 360 owners will be treated to a double package, called F.E.A.R. Files. The latter will include the new Perseus Mandate expansion, as well as the previous Extraction Point, which has been haunting the PC since last autumn.

Hoping to attract new players, Sierra / Vivendi announced that both packages will be stand-alone, not requiring any of the previous titles, and that the planned scenario will also be separate. Sort of.

Armed with an improved arsenal that includes the Chain Lightning Gun, Grenade Launcher and Advanced Rifle, and confronted with new enemies (Nightcrawlers), the player will have to find out what Perseus is and why the Nightcrawlers have been called in to collect it before you can. Or, of course, they'll be able to shoot it out in multiplayer, for up to 16 players.

The Perseus Mandate expansion is being developed by TimeGate Studios, while the adaptation of Extraction Point for F.E.A.R. Files on Xbox 360 is done by Day One Studios. The two titles should come out in autumn 2007.

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Returning from my absence motivated by domestic troubles right in the middle of E3, I will begin with the two major X360-to-PC announcements made by Microsoft. First of all, the long-rumoured PC version of Gears of War has finally received a release date, strategically set for the end of 2007, in time for the holidays. Development is still being handled by Epic Games, and the best news is that the game will also run out of the box on Windows XP.

Gears of War will of course integrate some fancy DirectX 10 effects, which will only be available on Windows Vista (in theory). Nearly just as exciting is the addition of 5 extra single-player missions, 3 new multiplayer maps, a new multiplayer mode, and an editor in the PC version.

Speaking of Microsoft and Epic Games, the two companies also announced the integration of the Games for Windows LIVE online gaming service with Unreal Engine 3. Some of the companies that will (sadly) adopt Games of Windows LIVE in their games later this year already include Eidos, Sega and THQ.

The other title to be ported from Xbox 360 to PC is the fluffy Viva Piñata, created by Rare. This, too, will be available on both Windows XP and Vista operating systems, and development of the PC version was handed over to Climax, though without any specific release date in sight.

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PlayStation 3 Now $100 Cheaper, 80GB PS3 In August

The console was selling so great, apparently, that Sony Computer Entertainment America announced a sudden price cut for the 60GB PlayStation 3 model - effective immediately! - by $100. The console thus reaches a slightly more resonable price, of $499 (about the same as an Xbox 360 Elite), although only in North America for now. A similar announcement is expected to be made this week for Europe as well, where the PS3 is currently selling for €599, equalling over $800.

This is pretty much the big news for us simpletons, however the main announcement from Sony's communique is the introduction of the new 80GB PlayStation 3 model in North America, starting from August. It will go on sale for $599 (same as the old price of the 60GB model), and the package will also include the racing game MotorStorm.

Ironically, the announcement follows just a few days after Sony Corp. president Ryoji Chubachi stated in the Japanese press that "we have no immediate plans as of now" for price cuts.

The analysts' reactions were quick to appear, with Pachter from Wedbush Morgan predicting that Microsoft would follow Sony's example and will reduce the price of the Xbox 360 as soon as possible. The guy expects a Xbox 360 Elite to reach $399 (instead of $479), the Premium model $349 (instead of $399), and the Core model $249 (instead of $299). For his sake, but mostly for ours, let's hope he's right.

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Space Siege Announced By The Makers Of Dungeon Siege

Just one week after announcing Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance, the folks from Gas Powered Games are quickly lifting the veil off of another project, from the five games currently in development for various platforms. This time, however, they're partnering with SEGA, in order to bring us a new hack'n'slash title. And while it's not quite a Dungeon Siege sequel, it's still very much an Action-RPG (with similar gameplay, too, we suspect), and it's called Space Siege.

Once again, the player will take on the role of an unlikely hero - Seth Walker, a cybernetics engineer - on a quest to save the world. As in the human world, which faces extermination after a devastating attack on Earth from an unknown alien race. The entire game apparently takes place in the confines of "Armstrong", one of the few remaining colonization ships carrying the last bastions of human civilization (perfect for landing on another planet, in a possible sequel).

"As the adventure progresses, Seth is offered opportunities to sacrifice pieces of his humanity for cybernetic upgrades that will assist him in his mission to preserve the human race. But what price will he pay to save his own humanity? Only the player can decide Seth's ultimate fate."

As the above quote from the announcement might suggest, Space Siege will have a dynamic storyline, influenced by the cybernetic modifications the player makes on Seth's body. These will determine the NPCs' reactions, to some extent, and ultimately different story resolutions can be reached. Naturally, the gameplay will also vary a great deal: the more you augment Seth with cybernetic upgrades, the easier it will be to uncover and eliminate the alien menace (after all, "natural human ingenuity and strength" only takes you so far...). But on the other hand, you'll also alienate Seth from the very people he's trying to save, thus placing you in a rather shallow moral dilemma.

As with Dungeon Siege, this spiritual sci-fi successor will also feature a co-op multiplayer mode, for up to 4 players. And, believe it or not, Space Siege is already planned for release in Q1 2008. Looks like Chris Taylor's gang has been keeping this a secret for quite a while!

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Following last month's multiplayer demo, Ubisoft has released a new massive, single-player demo, for the nearing PC version of Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2. So if the previous 1 GB didn't choke your internets connection, maybe this one will: it weighs an impressive 1.77 GB, and contrary to what that might imply at first sight, it doesn't include half of the single-player campaign, only the first level from the campaign.

For an updated list of download mirrors, check out this post on the official Ghost Recon website. While waiting for the download to finish, you can go over our preview and start preparing for the final version, coming in just a few days. After much delay, GRAW 2 for the PC should be released on July 13 in Europe, and July 17 in the US.

In other virtual warfare news, Shack has word that the upcoming RTS World in Conflict is entering a new beta phase on July 11. This will be the same version showcased by Sierra / Vivendi at the E3 Media & Business Summit later this week, and it will last until the end of July. For details and sign-ups, report ASAP on the game's website. World in Conflict's PC invasion is currently planned for September 18, to be followed by a second offensive on the Xbox 360 some time later.

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