In his keynote speech at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia XV Conference, CEO and chairman of Activision, Robert Kotick, confirmed suspicions of popular PS2 rhythm game Guitar Hero coming to other consoles as well. According to Kotick, Activision plans to publish a version of the title on "every significant new format" eventually.
Apparently, employees of retail chain GameStation had been informed about a Guitar Hero release on the Xbox 360 earlier this week, so this news was already more or less expected.

Developed by Red Octane, Guitar Hero was released last year for the Playstation 2 and garnered critical acclaim everywhere for it's clever re-invention of the rhythm game genre, letting players feel like true rock-stars with the guitar-shaped controller. A huge fanbase has already developed around the franchise, and Guitar Hero II will hit PS2's in November. Hopefully it won't be long then until we're indeed rocking out on our Xbox 360s, Wiis and PS3s.

Not only does this clip, taken from the newest 1UP show, gives you a glimpse of how it's looking inside the Valve offices, it also includes new footage from Half Life 2: Episode 2. Witness a thrilling buggy ride as the developers of the game explain what they've added to make Half Life 2 even more thrilling.

Later parts of the video show Portal, the innovative puzzle game that caused a lot of stir when it was announced. Utilizing a similar idea that Prey debuted with, the difference here is that Valve's concept of the portal technology is much less combat-oriented. Instead, they've decided throw bunches of insane, theoretically impossible puzzles after the player, as he needs to reach the exit of a room using only his portal gun.

Console gamers are lucky, as they'll receive a big bundle of goodness that includes the main game, Episode 1, 2 and Portal. The original game and Episode 1 are already released on the PC and have been subject to widespread critical acclaim. The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Half Life 2 are expected to be released in 2007.

While we're sitting here waiting for new material to pop up on Devil May Cry 4, how about checking out these direct feed pics taken from an interview Japanese magazine Famitsu arranged with game producers Hiroyuki Kobayashi and Hideaki Itsuno. While they were previously shown in scans, they are much bigger and clearer now and should sufficiently show off the game's general visual level and design.

As we've already reported, in Devil May Cry 4 players will no longer be in control of Dante, but a new hero called Nero who, well, looks almost exactly the same. But that doesn't mean his story will play out like that of his predecessor, quite the opposite is true. He also has a few perks of his own, for example a mysterious right-arm attack that has yet to be further detailed.

Other than that, we don't know much yet about the game. Expect more information to be revealed during the Tokyo Game Show, and of course we'll get back to you once that happens.

   

  

   
 

 

We here at QJ were fortunate enough to share with you the first boxart for a PS3 title - namely, Untold Legends: Dark Kingdoms. As you can see, the horizontal bar at the top announcing the system has been dropped in favour of a left-hand side logo, possibly to give space to the BluRay header that is expected to still be present on the PS3 game cases. Apparently, the dimensions seem to exactly match that of the art used with other BluRay cases, so you can imagine pretty well how the whole thing will look in a full case.

Other than that, the cover itself is surprisingly bereft of any additional text lines, logos, etc. Whether that's just temporary or is yet to be added we'll find out soon enough.  Anyway, feel free to tell us what you think about the new box design.

Now, these screens of Heavenly Sword aren't exactly new per se, as they originate from the same presentation that was shown at E3, but instead of being mediocre video captures, we now get direct feed pics, with higher quality and more details. We feel this is reason enough to show off this gorgeous game for the PS3 once again while we wait for new information to emerge.

Developed by Ninja Theory, Heavenly Sword is a mesmerizing martial arts drama revolving around the actions of a girl that only has a few days left to live. With nothing left to lose, she stands up against a king and his invading forces. Ninja Theory wants players to witness Heavenly Sword as a great game but also an artistic, moving experience. And currently, it looks like they're really being successful.

 

  

More screens await after the jump!

The prestigious Golden Joystick Awards are the oldest gaming awards and have taken place each year since 1982, when the video game industry was still in its infancy. The awards ceremony is anticipated by gamers in the UK (where the Golden Joystick Awards originated from) every time, and 2006 will not only turn out as the most successful year for the Golden Joystick Awards, it's also the time of the tightest head-to-head races as there are still no clear winners in most of the categories.

400,000 voters, more than twice more compared to last year, have voiced their favourite games as of now, an impressive number that easily smashed the organisers' expectations.

With console generations currently shifting and the new opponents all aiming for the top spot, gamers seem to be even more passionate to have their say in the Golden Joystick Awards. Voting's still open till Friday, October 12 and everything can still change.

Check the current top five ranking in each of the categories right after the jump!

Once targeted for a Summer 06 release for the Xbox 360, Armored Core 4 is not only rumored to be cancelled for Microsoft's console, it now also seems the game by From Software won't be hitting shelves in time for the Playstation 3 launch either. According to the latest issue of Japanese magazine Famitsu, the newest iteration in the long-running mech action & customization series is currently scheduled for a release in December. While it was never confirmed for a launch release, many assumed that Armored Core 4 would at least follow up swiftly - with a postponement to December we guess it just depends on your definition of "swiftly"...

Still, Armored Core 4 promises a lot to players, including online mods, more opponents and even deeper customization features. So if From Software are taking their time to polish up the game even further, let's give them the chance to do so, and perhaps meanwhile, the confusion surrounding the Xbox 360 version will be cleared up as well...we'll keep you posted.

Codemasters has just announced the development of a new FPS for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Called Fall Of Liberty, the game is being made by Call Of Duty: Finest Hour creators Spark Unlimited and presents an alternate history, where the Nazis win World War II.

According to the developer, this all happens because one little historical fact was changed: The car accident Winston Churchill experienced in 1931 was luckily not lethal to him in the real world, but it killed him in Fall Of Liberty, leaving the country without a voice to lead them to war. History begins to develop a little differently. The Nazis win the struggle for power, and gain control over Europe and the UK as the Normandy Invasion never happens.

Confident after their victory in Europe, the Nazis proceed to develop superior weapons and technology, and eventually launch a mass invasion of New York on December 7, 1951. The whole city, including The White House, gets occupied, and for players, it’s time to join the resistance and fight a guerrilla war in the newly occupied territories.

Codemasters promises to deliver an "explosive action experience" that lets you visit famous real-world locations under Nazi Occupation. The aim of the game is to "immerse players in an incredible and intensely realistic vision of an alternative world history". With Fall Of Liberty, the company tries to deliver a fresh take on the WWII genre as the player is no longer a liberator of Europe, but a "defender of freedom" in America.

Fall Of Liberty is set for release in Q4 2007 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. More details will be revealed later on.

We all saw it coming, and now, just after the Games Convention, Electronic Arts has officially announced the development of Burnout 5 - without the catchy sub-heading just yet. That's the good news. As for the bad news: the old rumor of Burnout 5 coming to the Wii will have to be buried, at least for the time being, as the company's press release mentions that Burnout 5 is "built from the ground up for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360".

Now, on to the good stuff - what will the newest title have in store for us, when there's no longer any need to take current-gen systems into consideration in development? According to EA, Burnout 5 is going to feature a "seamlessly designed, massive open city" called Paradise City, and a huge infrastructure of traffic-heavy roads to abuse. This means that players will no longer need to jump around in menus to change game modes, every intersection can be a potential crash junction and every alleyway becomes an opportunity to rack up moving violations.

Upon arriving at Paradise City, players are assigned a Driver's License, which is used to track the player's progress and law-breaking actions. Eventually, they will be facing the city’s most infamous burners, who are more interested in wrecking your car than crossing the finish line first. Speaking of destruction, EA promises an even more detailed damage system, making it possible to even literally rip cars in half, as well as stage the most insane car pile-ups ever seen in a video game.

Burnout 5 will be released in 2007, so expect more details to follow soon.

THQ has released a bunch of new screens from Frontlines: Fuel Of War. Developed by Kaos Studios for both Xbox 360 and PS3, the game puts players into the heated global war for oil, where they can fight for either the Western Coalition or the Red Star Alliance. Missions are focused on non-linear gameplay, with features such as vehicular combat, cutting edge military technology and wide open areas.

It'll be a long time before Frontlines hits the shelves, as THQ currently estimates a release at the end of 2007. Good thing THQ makes the long wait bearable by sending in abundant supply of screenshots.