One of Russia's most distinguished game developer and publisher, 1C company, has announced two new game projects that will be their first on the next generation consoles. The two games are based on Captain Blood novels and the successful IL-2 Sturmovik flight combat simulation series.  Both are now heading to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (to North America with help), but even handhelds will feel some love as well.

And just to settle the score against the competition, EA Sports' NHL 08 (for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) producer David Littman recently made a blog entry for the next hockey sports title and passed new gameplay features and improvements that players might be interested to know. And according to him, from now until shipment, fans of the game can keep checking blogged updates on new developments.

But first, let's see what EA Sports has in store for the new hockey successor to NHL 07, featuring cover athlete Eric "Gunner" Staal this time around. Littman pointed out that all the NHL 07 skating issues have been addressed and that players should have complete, 100% control over each of their players.

"Overall, our goal is to create the tools and the brain of an NHL player, input them into our game, and then leave the rest to you," blogged Littman. So expect brief flicks on control sticks should equate to a precise unique reaction on a player in the game, like a 10% tap in one direction should reflect a player zipping in that location in 10% speed accordingly.

And how about stopping to line up the right pass or shot? That's been improved, too. In any case, the length of time it takes for you to tap the stick on your gamepad, the controlled man will take that long to stop. A simple tap backwards makes a brief controlled halt, and tapping back forward again will cause your player to skirt in that direction again.

And skating has also been improved to the point that animation and gameplay mechanics become more practical and realistic. Teammates on the defense positions will now keep to the blue lines, facing their upper torso toward the puck so that they're always ready to receive a pass from the puckhandler.

Cross-over turns are now just controlled by a genuine, quick roll of the stick, if you want to skirt behind the goal for example to clear up a newly retrieved puck for a new offensive dash toward the opponent's end. He also adds that it keeps player's speeds up while allowing them to change direction.

Skill Stick features in NHL 07 have been further developed to practical levels in NHL 08, and the team behind NHL 08 will also be addressing goals trickling past the goalie and new team-based AI. More on that once they come in.

Mad Catz, third-party video game accessory provider, has just announced today that they have shipped their newest products, this time for the PS3. After tinkering and coming up with their own Xbox 360 and Wii controllers, they have finally gotten around to giving the PS3 their own accessory-treatment.

The GamePads come in wired and wireless versions, boasting of their SixSense motion-sensing technology, unique quick-fire triggers, four controller port indicator LEDs, a home button that accesses the PS3's main interface and fully analog joysticks. It will also be available in four funky colors, so you'll get to have your pick.

Says Darren Richardson, Mad Catz head honcho,

The launch of this duo of feature-rich controllers marks a meaningful step toward our goal of offering a full suite of quality accessories for each of the new console platforms... These competitively-priced GamePads provide gamers with an attractive alternative to first-party controllers and demonstrate our continued dedication to harnessing the technology of the new consoles to create innovative product designs and new sources of revenue.

How competitive are their prices? That will be US$ 29.99 for the wired GamePad, while the Wireless version is tagged at US$ 39.99. You can avail of these products at major video game retailers worldwide and online.

You may also check out their site (just click on the Read link below) for more info. We'd love to show you pics of the product, but unfortunately, none came with the press release. But we'll make sure to post one up as soon as we come across one.

T-minus two days to next year, guys. And while you're wondering what's '07 got in store for us, let's take a look at some of the better things we've seen.

IGN's hosting an awarding ceremony over at their site, and it'll be covering the best of what's happened in 2006. And while it's a long list, taking a look at what's been good per console, we'll be focusing on their "Best Gear of 2006" collection.

Under this category, IGN reports that the best new console of 2006 was *drumrolls* the PS3, the Wii taking second place. IGN chalks up points for the PS3's sheer processing power, its packaging as a computer rather than as a gaming platform, and the availability of Linux supported distributions.

Sure the console's still got a long way to go given its slow start,  but given the package's initial strengths, it'll be interesting to see what will develop in the near future.

As for the other "Best gear of 2006":

• Best Gaming Peripheral: Xbox 360 HD DVD player
• Best Gamepad: Pelican NERF controller
• Best PC Peripheral: Ideazon Zboard Fang
• Best Portable Audio: Microsoft Zune
• Best HDTV (Panel): Sony BRAVIA KDL-46XBR2 LCD
• Best HDTV (Projector): Panasonic PA-AX100U