Criterion Games has some semi-bad news for Burnout Paradise (PS3, Xbox 360) fans. The Cagney update for the game's Xbox 360 version will not go live as expected on July 10. Even though the PS3 version is still on track, the Game Calendar events will be affected by the Xbox 360 version's delay. More in the full article.

Okay, so you've got your agenda finalized. What's the next thing to do? Why, it's to announce the All-Star Speakers, of course.

Evergreen Events, the organizer of the 2008 ION Game Conference, has done precisely that. It's mentioned four important names to take note of. Find out who these four people are after the jump.

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.

Fans of Sega Sammy will be sad to know that its Korea subsidiary will be closing its doors soon. This is pretty bad news for gamers in the said regions since this may affect both arcade and video game distribution in the area. In case you want to find out more about this, head on over to the full article by clicking on "read more" link below.

They say that imitation is a form of flattery. But sometimes, imitation can unleash on you a Beat Rush + Somersault + Water Kick + Meteodrive combo (and very well into Final Heaven too). Last March, Square Enix filed a law suit against Korean media company Fantom Entertainment Group for releasing a music video that's been ruled to have plagiarized FF7: Advent Children. Exhibit A, if you please: Korean pop singer Ivy's music video for her song, "Temptation of Sonata". Read more to see the video and for more details.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Amycall's mobile offering is going for the gold. The phone manufacturer's PS3 phone carries other concepts "borrowed" from other consoles, the details of which you can pick up over in the full article.

Korea's IPTV service for the PlayStation 3 we reported on last month will be launched tomorrow, November 20. Named MegaTV, the video-on-demand service is a joint effort between Sony Computer Entertainment Korea and KT, one of Korea's top telecom operators, to bring PS3 users some high-definition games and Blu-ray content.

How soon before other regions get their own PS3 IPTV? Here's to hoping... As for those in Korea, setting up MegaTV is fairly simple.

Indeed, details about Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo 5 are many and varied, from confirmed cars to GT-TV features, and other general tidbits to make the racers go ga-ga. One of the functions that a lot of you might be waiting to try out is GT5's online mode.

Today we have a picture from the Gran Turismo Korea website, showing a list of features that PS3-exclusive GT5 will support online. Now some of these have been confirmed before (e.g. Voice Chat, Photo Album, etc.), but to see them all in summary, here's what we can expect.

Some of them are self-explanatory and can lead you to draw your own substantial assumptions. However, some other features* leave us scratching our heads. Google translations don't help either, so hopefully someone out there can help us all out. Just click on the screenshot above to get a more readable view.

*Just in case you were wondering, B-Spec racing is a feature implemented back in GT4. As Yang 2nd kindly points out in the comments section, "B-Spec mode is coaching mode. You set up the car then give orders on how the AI driver is to drive and when to overtake or pit."

Thanks Yang 2nd!

While the Xbox 360 has its own thing going on with an IPTV service, it seems as if the PlayStation 3 will be getting the same kind of treatment during November in Korea. Sony Computer Entertainment Korea (SCEK) and KT, one of Korea's leading telecom operators, will be launching the Internet Protocol TV service named Mega TV.

Lee Young-hee of the Media Center at KT is optimistic in their partnership with SCEK. To quote, "Mega TV will include high-definition games and Blu-Ray media in its periphery. We will seek more cooperation with SCEK to create synergy."

Unfortunately, there has been no announcements made on the price for the service or its terms.

During the first ever Games Convention Asia Conference (GC Asia Conference) held in Singapore, many countries proved how the industry is also strong in Asia outside Japan. Singapore, known as a big market for MMORPGs, even took a step forward to announce that they're ready to become a games industry center of excellence.

Minister for community development, Vivian Balakrishnan, revealed that around US$ 330 million (SG$ 500 million) of government funds went to research and development in the digital interactive sector.

A student exchange program called "GAMBIT" is also under way for Singapore and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to share their expertise.

Other parts of South East Asia expressed interest in the industry. A memorandum that "signifies the recognition of each other as ideal counterparts for future collaboration and co-operation in this region for the benefit of the games industry" was signed by ten Asian game developers associations from various countries like Japan, Korea, Australia, Thailand and Vietnam.

The Asia-Pacific is expected to contribute 40% of gaming industry's US$ 39.8 billion annual revenue by the end of 2008, and Singapore wants a piece of the cake. "Singapore intends to be part of the action," said Balakrishnan.