A lot of developers and publishers seem to be convinced of the superior quality of their games, but Ubisoft appear to be on top when it comes to that -- with Assassin's Creed that is. Last month Ubisoft updated their trademark of the game, along with the following description:

'Entertainment services namely television action series and the production of motion pictures'

It looks like Ubisoft wants to use the name or even the concept of Assassin's Creed for more uses than just games, namely TV shows and movies. This could mean that they're really dead serious on trying to make this a huge franchise. If so, this could only spell a better future for the game as a movie or TV branch-out could only translate to future installments and developments. Considering how rich the lore and mystery behind Altair - his missions and overall existence - is, tons of plots and story angles can be delved into. Let's wait and see.

Electronic Arts announced today that the release date of Need for Speed Carbon will be November 10, 2006, on all consoles (the complete list of platforms below). Developed by EA Black Box in Vancouver, British Columbia, Need for Speed Carbon is EA's next game in the series that will combine Underground and Most Wanted gameplay. The game will be available for the 360, PS3, PS2, Xbox, GameCube, DS, PSP, GBA and PC.

This the first time a Need for Speed game is set in an actual city or location from the real world - Carbon Canyon in California. Another unique thing about this game compared to the other games in the series is that your teammates will have unique characteristics and will help you bring those pesky enemies off the road. All their skills will be very important during the canyon races, especially ramming them off the road.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is not very pleased with Ubisoft's upcoming first person shooter Rainbow Six: Vegas, which is set in, yes, Las Vegas. "It could be harmful economically, and it may be something that's not entitled to free speech (protection)," Goodman said. Like in all previous Rainbow Six games, you have to disarm terrorists and arrest them with your elite counter-terrorist team.

According to the city's Mayor the scenario is inaccurate and unrealistic because Las Vegas is "the safest place imaginable" after the Sept. 11 attacks. He says he will try to stop the release of the game, partly because people might not come to Las Vegas anymore (on holiday apparently) after playing or seeing the game. The game is set to release somewhere in November for PC, PS3 and 360. Ubisoft picked Las Vegas for their game because of the famous and recognizable locations the city has, giving them the opportunity to show the real power of the next-gen consoles.

Personally I don't see why this could cause any controversy, because so many games have used popular world locations for their games, without any political issues. Perhaps Mayor Goodman is trying to grab headlines?

Electronic Arts announced today that actress Emmanuelle Vaugier will star in Need for Speed Carbon this autumn. Developed by EA Black Box in Vancouver, British Columbia, Need for Speed Carbon is EA's next game in the series that will combine Underground and Most Wanted gameplay. The game will be available for the 360, PS3, PS2, Xbox, GameCube, DS, PSP, GBA and PC.

Emmanuelle Vaugier has a recurring role on the CBS show Two and a Half Men. She has also recently starred in the films Saw 2 and 40 Days and 40 Nights, and was selected to Maxim’s annual top 100 females list in May. In Need for Speed Carbon, Emmanuelle stars as Nikki, the ex-girlfriend of the hero who has "returned to town to face his mysterious past." Five grand!

"Being able to work in a videogame for the first time and working with the Need For Speed Carbon team at EA has been a great experience for me. This is a game that evolves the racing genre, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it", Vaugier said. "Playing the role of Nikki allows me to take a completely fresh approach to acting and push the boundaries of the creative process."

There have been lots of pictures and images lately showing the actual sizes of the next-gen consoles. The dimensions of the PlayStation 3 are about 13.5" x 3.25", but the Wii dimensions are way smaller. As you can see from the pictures below the PlayStation 3 is pretty much double the height of the Wii. So you're thinking... how did they get both consoles in the same room?

Well, guess what? Some fans actually recreated both the upcoming consoles in... cardboard. That's right, cardboard. And they even painted it for your viewing pleasure. This is different from the other cardboard Wii posted earlier. Check out the pictures:

 
 

One of the most anticipated PlayStation 3 launch titles is the famous racing game MotorStorm. We first saw a teaser trailer in one of the E3 2005 compilation videos, and already back then it blew me away a little. You know the deal, weird races on all kinds of vehicles in the middle of the desert. During the races there are many obstacles, and not just that big truck that's behind you.

Unfortunately all the screenshots that have been published by Sony throughout these years are a little blurry and odd, and this isn't an exception. The images show some new vehicles but that's all really. There hasn't been much new info since E3 but we'll keep an eye out for all the latest!

 
 

Recently a lot of bits of info and small batches of screenshots have been released for PlayStation 3 games. This time it's for the FPS Resistance: Fall of Man. In this game you play a guy who fights aliens around 1950, because instead of WWII happening, aliens invaded Earth. You'll see a lot of Half-Life 2 kind of gameplay (headcrabs!) but the game definitely has its own unique setting.

The game is still planned as a launch title but the image quality seems to be improving (assuming those are actual screenshots and not pre-rendered a la Killzone 2). It's not really like "Wow, that's amazing" when you look at some of the pictures, but hopefully that'll change as the game and the console come closer to launch. However, will this be the launch title for the PlayStation 3? I doubt it.

 
 

A couple of new screenshots for the PlayStation 3 game Eye of Judgment have been released. The game is some sort of magic card game (like Yu-Gi-Oh, that stuff) where you're supposed to bring cards alive using the EyeToy. The whole game is basically turn-based, general card gameplay. By "attacking" you dont press a button but instead you make the motion with your hand in front of the EyeToy.

You can expect a lot of over the top magic effects and magical creatures, etc. The game will feature 110 cards and to play with, but unfortunately the release date hasn't been announced yet. To be honest it's not one of the better looking PlayStation 3 games out there but of course that's not where this is about with this game. Expect a lot more when we have it.

 
 

Sony opened its very first European shop in Barcelona and is called PlayStation Center. It's a huge building where pretty much any PlayStation product is sold - third party, first party, you name it. This shop is PlayStation specific so no Sony camcorders and televisions are being sold (although you can play games on Sony Bravia's). They're planning on selling rare Japanese accessories soon too.

Here are some pictures of the new shop:

Edge of Reality today officially announced the development of their own self-funded next-gen project, Cipher Complex. Cipher Complex is a military combat game that will be out on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2007. Along with the announcement came some screenshots.

Binu Philip, president of Edge of Reality said: "The evolution of action games has seemed to plateau, perhaps because of the emphasis on sequels. We are exploring and developing brand new styles of gameplay and methods of storytelling. The concept and mechanics of Cipher Complex have been incubating in our mind for years, and with power of the next-gen consoles, we can finally make our dream project a reality."

The game follows the story of government operative John Cipher as he infiltrates Siberia in search of a downed reconnaissance satellite. Other than that, nothing else is known about the main narrative. But based on the storyboard art, Cipher will be joined by three other characters - blonde Coldwell, mysterious Mishka, and an older gentleman named Anakov.


Also check out the preview.