Atomic Games isn't done with Six Days In Fallujah (PS3, Xbox 360). After the game was dropped by Konami, the studio has since revealed that it still hopes to release the game. While nothing has been said so far about who they plan to shop the game to, Atomic CEO Peter Tamte did step into the spotlight for a while to defend Six Days and its artistic merits.

Those against Atomic Games' Six Days in Fallujah (PS3, Xbox 360) can now breathe a sigh of relief as publisher Konami has dropped the controversial game due to the negative reaction it generated. Atomic has yet to announce if it will shop the game around to other publishers.

And the crossfire just heats up some more with Atomic Games and Konami's controversial Six Days in Fallujah (PS3, Xbox 360) title. We've heard from the naysayers, now it's time to hear from the defenders. And (un)surprise of all surprises, it's the soldiers defending the game themselves.

Announced just yesterday, Six Days in Fallujah for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC is already catching some attention - and not in the good way too. Konami is now being blasted for coming up with a video game retelling one of the more extreme incidents in recent war history. People have detested that it's not a good idea to release this game - not now, not in the near future. Some even already want it banned completely.

Midway Studios Austin's latest game for the first person shooter genre, Blacksite: Area 51 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3), may have had much promise, but it failed to meet expectations of players and reviewers alike. Game designer Harvey Smith, known for his work on the memorable Deus Ex, looked back on the critical errors made while developing BlackSite.

Details and more at the full article.

For sure. When Microsoft seemed bent to advocate Live Anywhere to game developers in order to connect console thumb-flippers to PC twitchers on what might have been the modern gamer's World War I, they probably didn't expect to be stopped dead cold by Infinity Ward's two-lettered dumb-founder: "No." Activision's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare ain't going Live, says Infinity, and that's that.

 

But Infinity Ward's Grant Collier did reveal in an interview with IGN that CoD4 (for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) was not going to be a sandbox destructive game. Instead, they've put more focus on producing better frame rates on the game than creating a world that's "totally destructible."

And according to Collier, full destructibility is just another fad in the shooting genre that could end sooner than later. While everyone is else is requesting for such a feature, Infinity Ward doesn't feel that it delivers fun in any of the games that are being designed with that concept in mind, like EA's Battlefield Bad Company. He added:

I think it's a buzzword, it's a badge, it's a bullet-point option, but a lot of games they get in there and they try to do that and then they're like 'okay we have the sandbox, now why don't we try to make the game fun'. And total destructibility, you can really ruin the gameplay. ... So I think right now it's a fad, and the fad will pass, we're not going to be bite on in it - we want the game to be fun first, and destructibility comes second.

Oh and Price is coming back. Again. Revived for the modern era, the lovable Brit is going to get new shoes to fill, with arch-nemesis Zakhaev. Collier said that a foiled assassination attempt has your paths cross with Zakhaev and Price and much of their history gets revealed through flashbacks set in Ukraine.

And even though facts have been tossed around that Call of Duty 4 was set in present-day Iraq, it actually revolves around conflict touching the four corners of the modern world. And enemies aren't under-equipped, cowardly Guerrilla types; they've got the technology and the tactics to take you and your band of brothers (circa 2007) out.

With Activision's recently submitted financial performance report for fiscal year 2007, avid gamer and analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities remained optimistic about the future for Activision. For the fiscal year 2008, Pachter estimates a US$ 1.8 billion in revenue for the company, while eyeing a US$ 2 billion in revenue for 2009.

 

He also recommends a "Strong Buy" for the company's stock as a result, from a US$ 23 to US$ 24.50. But according to the analyst, "All things are not perfect in Activision's world." The so-so reviews of the game adaptation of blockbuster hit Spider-Man 3 were especially questioned by Pachter.

And then came the news that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was to be set in present-day Iraq, which Pachter points out as a bad move for the company. He said:

We understand that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is set in Iraq in the present, and we believe that if true, there is some potential for sales to suffer as a result of widespread dissatisfaction with the U.S. war effort in that country. Of course, prior to release, it may be possible to change the venue for the game (we prefer the fictional country of Kreplachistan), and we are confident that Activision will consider carefully how to best position the product in the marketplace this fall.

That's not all: due to recent friction between Harmonix and Electronic Arts' Rock Band with upcoming Red Octane and Activision's riff-maker Guitar Hero III, Pachter expects one tough fight ahead of the publisher. He expects that the original creators of Guitar Hero, Harmonix, will be able to create a competitive title against its former franchise with Rock Band, even if the analyst has heard little details about the new game under Electronic Arts' wing.

In case you missed it, developer Infinity Ward will be making a big announcement this coming April 28, Saturday. The company didn't mention what exactly the big news is going to be about but fans are thinking that it could be about Call of Duty 4. Gaming site IGN now confirms that it is indeed about that shooter.

First and foremost, CoD 4 will be officially known as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Still no details were released about this title but judging from the name, it is very possible that the series is moving away from the WW II settings. Could it be set in one of the modern battlefields such as Iraq? Afghanistan perhaps?

Anyway, as part of the announcement, the worldwide trailer will be released on the same day (April 28). You could catch it on ESPN around 10 a.m. PST / 1 p.m. EST. It will be shown during the NFL draft so don't miss that.

Infinity Ward, or Activision for that matter, is yet to divulge what platforms Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare will be on. Although it is highly plausible though that it will come on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 (PS3) and Games for Windows (PC) platforms.

If at first you don't succeed at squashing a rumor, you can deny it again. That's what Europe">SCEE boss Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Boss">David Reeves just did. The rumor dates back to a few months ago and was even attributed to Sony prez Ken Kutaragi. This is the one where the PS3's European debut was pushed back from March 2007 to September.

If we are to believe Sony, that statement was about as accurate as reports of the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. But since some rumors are harder to kill than others... once and for all here is the latest denial from Reeves: "We're still on schedule to launch PS3 in March throughout the PAL territories. All speculation otherwise is without foundation."

Still skeptical? Wedbush Morgan, a company who makes it their business to check what other companies are up to, says Sony is probably telling the truth. "The logic behind a March European launch was that demand would subside in the US sufficiently to allow Sony to divert supply to Europe."

Now someone please get a shovel and bury this dead rumor before it starts to stink. Wait! What if the demand for PS3 does not taper off? Oh, well they can always delay it again. But for now March is still officially the European PS3 D-Day.

Whether you're an X-Files fan or an FPS junkie, the term "Area 51" will tug a special place within the inner conduits and deep recesses of your heart and mind. For the X-Files fan, Area 51 is the secret Air Force base out at the Nevada desert where alien bio-tech experiments are executed. For the FPS junkie, Area 51 is one of the classic shooter games from Midway Games.

Back in August, rumors sparked the circuit boards of the QJ blog-o-sphere when the said developers dropped hints about working on a next-gen platform. Today, conspiracy theorists can rest easy with their restless speculations and start gearing up for a confirmed Area 51 sequel. Yep. Confirmed.

Within hours of IGN posting a mysterious teaser vid, forum goers have commented that the latest "PlayStation Magazine" (PSM) actually confirms the sequel. It's going to be entitled BlackSite and would have the first level set in Iraq. Strangely, as one of the commenters said, the aliens look aquatic. Based on the teaser clip, however, I'd say that the alien looks like an Oddworld Inhabitant's version of Star Wars' AT-ST. But that's just me.

If you want to check for yourself, you can download the short (700KB only!) clip below. And if ever we get more follow ups on this sweet tease, maybe we can get up some pics soon. Forget watching the night sky for aliens. Watch this space!

Download: [Area 51: BlackSite teaser]