Ready for another nice bunch of high-definition releases for your Blu-ray player? We have them right here in this edition of On Blu-ray This Week. We've got everything from brain-sucking space bugs, costumed heroes, tenors, and rock gods. See the full article to view the complete list of movies.

We have several weeks left before we finally get our hands on Konami Digital Entertainment's Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, and the home stretch of the waiting period is killing us. To keep you preoccupied, we decided to feature some of the key characters of the game on a weekly basis to freshen our memories on their roles in the series. This week, we've got a special edition because we're featuring the most notable women in the Metal Gear series!

Take-Two Interactive Software, the distributor of Grand Theft Auto 4 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) and other games, has given word that it is planning to expand into Asia Pacific markets. The company has tapped an experienced senior executive to help them establish a foothold in Asia. For more information, don't hesitate to click on the "read more" link below.

Here's another movie turned video game from Luxoflux and Activision: Kung Fu Panda (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and DS). Play the role of Po the Panda as he trains with five of the best Kung Fu masters in China to fulfill his destiny of becoming the Dragon Warrior. You can read more about the game in our full article after the jump.

Frank Yu, former Casual Games Producer for Microsoft in China, recently gave a report on the state of piracy in China following the Hong Kong raid where authorities seized 10,000 mod chips for Nintendo consoles. The last major news of piracy in China was last year; at that time it was for the Xbox 360.

Remember our report about Xbox 360 and Wii piracy in the Philippines? Turns out piracy is popular for both the Xbox 360 and the Wii in China as well.

According to Yu though, there isn't much demand for the PlayStation 3 so there's no modding or any distribution of pirated games in China that he is aware of and he doesn't even mention the PSP, which is a popular victim in many other areas. The Nintendo DS isn't spared however, as the Supercard (R4 card) is being sold in China.

Yu states that the Japanese Wii is a more popular candidate for modding since the US Wii has more protection. Modded Wiis can still download firmware although some of the more recent games, like Metroid Prime 3: Corruption won't work (although Yu believes this won't be true for long).

As for the Xbox 360, piracy is still very much active and rampant in the country. While Xbox 360 consoles in China will still be shut out of Xbox Live when MS detects that the console is modded, Yu has heard of a rumor that talks of a mod chip you can switch on and off. One just has to turn it off to log on to Xbox Live.

Hacking and modding is rampant but also incredible efficient - so much that the "folks at MS are always impressed by the speed and workaround that hackers and modders do to the motherboard." Hacking in China is also popular with foreigners, who aren't strangers with hacking shops at all.

Now that Peter Moore has taken the helm of EA Sports as president, big plans are about to be carried out for the company. Not only does he want games of the brand to be successful in multiple platforms, but also wants EA Sports to go global.

In an interview, Moore discussed about how he looks at other countries where the gaming industry could be in three years time. India, Russia, and mainland China are the biggest bets as future major players within the interactive entertainment world. For instance, EA Sports is looking at cricket as a sport that can become more than just India's favorite.

Other goals in Moore's checklist include capitalizing on various platforms and making sure his company can make games that sell to a wider audience. He also expressed interest in getting another tattoo, one of John Madden, if his back is wide enough.

When asked why Moore left his position in Microsoft as corporate vice president, he replied:

[EA] is a company I have enjoyed competing with over the years and more recently collaborating with. I have strong Bay Area roots with my kids being born here, being Cal Berkeley kids, and the timing was right for me both personally and professionally to come here.

He also mentioned how he knew Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitello for a long time and figured out that being where he is now is the suitable place for someone with his background. Some may remember EA also offered him good salary and compensation for leaving his previous job.

For the full interview, click on the Read link below.

Slipping back to our business suits, we've gotten word that U.S. market research firm Parks Associates has discovered that online gaming still outweighs video streaming or social networking over the Internet. The report entitled "Casual Gaming Market Update" claimed that at least 34% of adult Internet users play online games on a weekly basis. Games they play include casual games, confirming the rise in popularity of the casual gaming sector.

 

In contrast, 29% of those surveyed watch short online videos, and a smaller 19% visit social networking sites at least once a week. Additionally, online gaming is also experiencing a major surge in the North American region. Parks Associates observed a 79% year-on-year rise in online gamers, compared to the 46% climb of social networking users.

Still, video streaming users are ascending at a steep 123%, and the online gaming sector would do well to challenge that rate in the following years. The online gaming sector is becoming a ripe source of income, and Parks Associates still recommends the tried-and-tested Western business models for the region.

In the Eastern front, the online gaming sector is becoming a blossoming playground for the Asian gaming industry, as Taiwan, Korea, and China have experienced phenomenally market booms in the previous year. Market predictions are also off-the-roof for the Far East, and it may have already grown leaps and bounds in the first half of 2007.

Because people WoW and click Flash more than they Facebook or Youtube, we'll be monitoring for more developments as they come clicking by.

If you've ever wanted to play international hoops in a video game but couldn't find one that will offer such a thing, then worry no more. NBA Live 08 (also coming to the Xbox 360, Wii and PC) just sealed a licensing deal with world basketball governing body FIBA and international teams will be included in the mix.

The Play Now mode allows you to pit the world's best teams against any ballclub in the NBA, while the FIBA mode will have you battling it out in an 8-team tournament to determine which national squad has the right to be called world champions. This means you can take it to the rack using Manu Ginobili while Spurs teammate Tim Duncan tries to stop you. Can T-Mac shoot fadeaways over Yao Ming? We'll find out soon.

2006 World Championship winners Spain led by Memphis Grizzlies star Pau Gasal will be there as well as runners up Greece and USA, as well as France, Germany, Italy, Argentina and China.

The announcement adds to the already stellar list of new features such as the Go-To basketball gameplay, deep customization and management. Combine that with the trademark quality graphics and sound and the NBA Live dynasty just might go on well into the new age of digital sports.

  

Microtransaction advocate and worldwide publisher Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) reported a net revenue of US$ 395 million for the first quarter (Q1) of fiscal year (FY) 2007, which dipped 4% than last year's US$ 413 million. But after EA's recent announcement to 'pull the plug' on servers for older boxed games, the publisher announced via press wire than it will now recognize revenue derived from those services. Such earnings will be reflected in future financial reports.

 

The gross profit for Q1 dropped 7% to US$ 229 million compared to last year, while the company's quarter net losses reached US$ 132 million as opposed to the prior year's US$ 81 million. And for concerned investors who couldn't make it to the company's conference call, diluted loss per share was claimed at US$ 0.42 (US$ 0.26 last year). Non-GAAP diluted loss per share dipped by US$ 0.22 (US$ 0.12 last year).

Surprisingly, EA's operating cash flow was noticeably slimmer this year, as its twelve-month flow was tallied at US$ 243 million, compared to a deeper US$ 589 million pocket last year. EA claimed to have ended the quarter with cash and short term investments amounting to US$ 2.2 billion.

Biggest highlights of the quarter for the publishing giant were the two million units sold in a single week for the company's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, while closer to corporate news was the arrival of Peter Moore, former Microsoft corporate vice president, and Kathy Vrabeck, former Activision president, to the executive ranks of the company.

In addition, the company has reorganized itself into four labels which is expected to come into effect this current quarter, while expanding further into Asia with equity investments in The9 Limited, China and Neowiz Corporation, Korea. An agreement with The9 was also signed to bring EA SPORTS FIFA Online to China.

Back in the industry news, "creative hub" publisher THQ announced a first quarter sales dip of approximately US$ 34 million, while reporting a significantly lowered quarter net loss of US$ 9.3 million. Despite the drop from US$ 138.8 million to US$ 104.5 million in sales of Ratatouille, Cars, and WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2007, the publisher is confident about its US$ 240 million sales target for Q2 2007.

 

Achievements for the company during Q1 included a penetration of the online market in China, after THQ signed an agreement with Shanda, a local game operations firm, to deliver the long-standing PC game Company of Heroes to the blossoming PC market in the region. While details were scarce, it was hinted that the title would definitely cater to the online segment.

Brian Farrell, CEO of THQ, assured attendees at the recently concluded press conference that the current quarter performance appears to be as they expected. He remained confident that their lineup of family-friendly and casual games for the Nintendo Wii and DS will keep the company "well positioned" for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts, de Blob, Stuntman: Ignition, and WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007, on the other hand, have been selected as for Game Critics' Best of E3 2007 Awards, while a whispered sequel for Red Faction back in February was confirmed at the conference call. Details on the sequel have not been revealed as of press time.

Future prospects of the company appear to be cautiously optimistic, after Farrell noted a faster pace of PlayStation 3 hardware sales that seem to outweigh the platform's software sales. The company also plans to dive into in-game advertising more so this 2008, claiming to be in talks with Nickelodeon and Pixar to discuss in-game ad revenue shares.