Hah, Microsoft, who needs 'em? A number of veterans from Ensemble Studios are picking up where they left off after being shut down when Halo Wars was completed. They formed a new studio called Robot Entertainment. More in the full article.

The 6th Annual Video Game Awards of Spike TV is about to kick off next month, and we've got the list of nominees for this one. Cross your fingers tight and wish your personal fave bets good luck. See the list after the jump.

Is there life after Kojima Productions? It was revealed late last month that Ryan Payton had left the MGS4 team to head back to the US... And now, we hear that he might have already been hired! Good for him, yes? Now, if current rumors prove true, Payton might be working with Peter Jackson on an upcoming Halo game. Guess the fight's not finished yet, eh?

Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft Game Studios, has thrown down the gauntlet. Speaking at an interview, Spencer pitted the Xbox 360's line-up of first-party games against the PlayStation 3's own, saying: "Which first party has had more success on their own platform? [...] I'll line up against Sony's first party any day." Well, someone's gearing up for the holiday spirit. More in the full article. Yes, there's more.

In a presentation to industry analysts, Electronic Arts' president Frank Gibeau has announced that they will be releasing sequels for both Skate (Xbox 360, PS3) and Mass Effect as well as a new Burnout game. If you want to find out more, head on over to the full article by clicking on the "read more" link below.

Games Critics Awards is proud to bring to us the list of their top 10 games of 2007. 2K Games' BioShock (PC, Xbox 360) had the prestigious honor of grabbing the top spot as the judges' choice for Game of the Year, based on the point system ranking devised by Games Critics.

You can take a look at the other games that made it into the list in the full article!

The NPD Group has just released the retail sales numbers of Canada's video game industry, and for the month of September, hardware sales of the Microsoft Xbox 360 have jumped to 51,200 units. The rise was attributed to the September 25 release of Bungie Studios' Halo 3, published by Microsoft. Over all, the game industry was reported to have met a 96% increase in total sales from US$ 66.2 million to US$ 129.7 million, year on year.

Throughout the retail sale categories that the NPD report covered, console hardware sales have more than doubled for the month alone, confirming Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter's prediction. The revenue hit a high of 244% from US$ 13 million in September last year to US$ 44.7 million in September this year.

With it, console software sales rose 79% year-on-year, from US$ 27.8 million to US$ 49.9 million in revenue. Handhelds in contrast performed in the lowest margins, though both software and hardware revenue increased according to NPD's numbers.

Handhelds sold in the nation hiked up 29% from US$ 9 million in September last year to US$ 11.7 million this year, while handheld video games rose by a slim 2% from last year - US$ 9.5 million to US$ 9.7 million. The hardware sales ranked by most unit sales for the month of September stood as:

• Microsoft Xbox 360 - 51,200
• Nintendo DS - 45,000
• Nintendo Wii - 42,900
• Sony PSP - 2,200
• Sony PS2 - 16,500
• Sony PS3 - 15,600
• Nintendo GBA - 8,600

You can also see the top 10 video games for September 2007 ranked by most unit sales at the full article.

Shane Kim, director of Microsoft Game Studios, had a lot to say at E3. GamePro sat down with the big wig to talk about Metal Gear Solid 4 on 360, the future of the box, hardware issues, upcoming games, and everything under the sun.

Rumor is hot on MGS4 coming to the 360, and the entire gaming industry anticipates any new word on the issue. Kim sees Konami's defection to Microsoft as a feasible business move. "If you look at it from an economic standpoint, third parties have to support more than one platform. How much do you think that Konami is spending on MGS4? So economically they've got to leverage that the best that they can."

While Sony is dead set on making the PS3 live for ten years, the box's destiny isn't set on stone. "The customers will tell us how long the Xbox 360 is viable. We definitely plan on it have a five-year-plus life cycle. We do plan on winning this generation and nothing is going to shake us off of that aspiration," Kim stated.

The biggest dilemma raining on 360's parade would have to be the hardware failure rates. Kim claims that the box is a "very complex high-end piece of machinery." What of the PS3 then, the machine developers complain about because of its complexity? "I can't speak to Sony and how they built their product. They've got a much bigger product than we do."

Right now, Shane Kim is confident that Microsoft will dominate the competition. "We have a ton of confidence of the content portfolio of Xbox 360 and Xbox Live... We have this huge momentum, and we have the greatest game lineup of any system."

Nintendo's magic wand and the plethora of games that come to the Wii doesn't seem to faze this man. "We're in the leadership position... It's really up to the first parties to create the content that's going to differentiate the platforms and that's where we think we have the competitive advantage."

 

If you've been penny-pinching to save up for upcoming games, here's a little primer on US retail releases this week, starting July 2.

Eye catchers of the week (for the grown-ups) would be Ninja Gaiden Sigma for the PS3 and Vampire Rain for the 360. We've been covering both games for quite some time now, and the anticipation is fit to burst through Rachel's black leather suit.

Moms and dads may also want to get Platinum Sudoku or Vegas Casino for those quiet times when the kids are busy with Marvel TCG and Taito Legends 2. (More about these and other games in our Full Article).

What a way to start the month of July! New month, new week... new games!

Ninja Gaiden Sigma. The demo for this ninja action adventure title was one of the few demos that actually lived up to its hype. For those who are old enough to crave challenges and gameplay more suitable for mature audiences, this PS3 exclusive is a must-buy.

• PlayStation 3 - July 3, 2007
• US$ 59.99
• ESRB M (Mature)
• Tecmo and Team Ninja

Vampire Rain. Take on the role of John Lloyd, the government's vampire hunter, as he purges Los Angeles of the vampire threat. We're hoping that this horror action adventure game will cast new light on the vampire game genre with its stealthy "high-tech Buffy meets Sam Fisher" gameplay.

• Xbox 360 - July 3, 2007
• US$ 59.99
• ESRB M (Mature)
• Microsoft Game Studios and Artoon

See the other game releases by clicking on the Full Article link below!

 

Rumor has it that Sony Computer Entertainment is very disappointed with Incognito Entertainment's recent lackluster performance. In fact, according to a report by the website Stupid Gamer, the computer entertainment division of the Japanese giant will be cutting its ties with Incognito after their work on Warhawk is done.

Incognito, far long a developer for the PlayStation console, used to develop the Twisted Metal franchise for the PlayStation. But now Sony intends to replace the loyal developer with a new studio who pledges their allegiance to the company and brand, although there has been no official word regarding both these issues.

However, if the news is true, there's a possibility that the intellectual properties Incognito developed for Sony will remain in Sony's possession. In contrast, there are also news circulating in the Microsoft camp telling of friction between Microsoft Game Studios and FASA Studios over Shadowrun.