Nintendo does have a lot of celebrating to do cos the past couple of years have been really good for them. Not only did their gaming consoles (DS and Wii) give them much source of pride -- and profit -- they have also been just recognized as one of the world's most reputable companies, landing in at an impressive #6.

The BBFC has announced that it will be launching a new online rating scheme which will let them rate more media content such as downloadable games, films, and programs. Want to find out more about this? Head on over to the full article for more information.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment president Bob Chapek had some harsh words for HD-DVD backers, saying that those in the HD-DVD camp are prolonging the format war even though it is clear that Blu-ray will win. During a two-day Blu-ray festival in Hollywood, Chapek said the following:

Blu-ray's competition's attempts to sell less than the best will inevitably be trumped by what we stated from the very beginning: That the Blu-ray technology is not a half-step format that will sell consumers short, but rather it is a revolutionary technology that will change the way we view movies for the long term.

And we firmly believe that revolutionary technology, my friends, is indisputably, undeniably and inevitably Blu-ray.

Chapek wasn't alone in chastising HD-DVD backers. Fox's home entertainment president Mike Dunn earlier this week blasted Paramount for switching to HD-DVD. Dunn referred to the rumored US$ 50 million payout that Paramount supposedly received, accusing the studio of "taking the bait".

A group of major Hollywood studios and leading consumer electronics manufacturers have announced that they will be extending the 5 Free Blu-ray Movies promo through this year's holiday season.

The promo goes like this: Consumers who buy any qualifying Blu-ray player - this includes the Sony PlayStation 3 home video game console - between now and January 31, 2008 will be able to choose 5 free Blu-ray titles from a total of 18 titles being offered by participating studios.

Titles available in the promo are Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Wild Hogs, American Psycho, Chain Reaction, The Devil's Rejects, Flight of the Phoenix, Full Metal Jacket, Hart's War, The Last Waltz, Omen 666, The Patriot, The Prestige, Species, Stir of Echoes, Superman: The Movie, SWAT, Swordfish and Ultraviolet. All of these titles will be available through mail-in redemption.

Participating hardware manufacturers include Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sony Electronics and Sony Computer Entertainment. The studios offering the free Blu-ray movies are Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, Lionsgate, MGM Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video.

 

Our last update (and the first) on Disney Interactive's The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian was back in mid-July, after the publishers released a pair of videos and a few screenshots to admire. The video game adaptation of the second feature of C.S. Lewis' fantasy series would be served to gamers on almost every platform available.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian will see the return of the Pevensie siblings, in an effort to restore the throne of Narnia to young Prince Caspian. Features of the game will include the ability to play 20 characters in total, including all four Pevensies, Prince Caspian, and a minotaur.

Online and offline multiplayer was also mentioned, with an instant join, instant leave two-player gameplay experience. It was reported that Disney Interactive will include two exclusive scenes recorded by Walt Disney Pictures to the game. Expect all these to come to light when The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian hits your Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PSP, DS, PS2, and Windows PC next year. For the time being, give the few stills provided here a glance or two.

   

 

Looks like the HD-DVD format is being left out in the cold this holiday season. Following Blockbuster's announcement of a Blu-ray exclusivity deal, this new announcement from Target is looking like the format wars' final nail on the coffin.

The Associated Press has just released a statement that Target, second-largest retail outlet in the US, will be bringing the Blu-ray under the spotlight this holiday season. They're going to be pushing up Blu-ray players and discs all the way to the front displays, specifically, the endcaps of the store aisles.

Sony's BDP-S300 Blu-ray player will be sold come October for US$ 499, and flanking it on the shelves would be Blu-ray movies from Sony Pictures and Walt Disney.

It might be worth of note that Target would still continue selling HD-DVD items, like the Xbox 360's HD-DVD add-on. But it seems as if, on the disc player side of things, the retail chain will only carry Blu-ray players from Sony and not HD-DVD players (with an exception to Toshiba's HD-DVD player which is available on the Target website). So, like the deal with Blockbuster, Sony's hand on Target looks like a pretty secure lock-out.

Target is to make its official announcement of the deal with Sony come Thursday.

There's a steady trickle of information regarding the movie adaptation of Jordan Mechner's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Just the other day, we reported that the movie port's script was reviewed. Today, we found out the exact release date for the movie.

The previous reports indicating a "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" release date of "summer of 2009" proved quite accurate. The movie will be made under the watchful eye of producer Jerry Bruckheimer and will be made under Walt Disney Pictures. According to ComingSoon.net, the movie will be heading to box offices on June 10, 2009.

That's right, fans. It seems they're making the movie with the sweet luxury of time - which is pretty ironic since the movie is about manipulating the very stuff. Anyway, we'll keep you posted on this so stay glued.

Them scurvy pirates are drawing ever closer to your ports. That's right, the company of Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and Elizabeth Swann will be docking atop your retailer's store shelves come May 22. And that's only a few winks away.

So before we get the party started, we've got some new smuggled images of Walt Disney's blockbuster movie-turned-video game, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. These images are for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, and they're looking like valuable treasures, indeed.

The movie will be following shortly after the video game's release, so we expect the franchise to bloom like gold. In the meantime, why don't you dig through our latest stash of PoTC: At World's End screenshots? Enjoy!

More screenshots await at the Full Article!

High-Def Digest recently disclosed the transcript of an investor call with Walt Disney Company CEO Robert Iger, wherein he made his, well, unequivocal support for Blu-ray: "We made our bed with Blu-ray because we believed in that format for a variety of reasons..." Iger lays it down: "the single greatest thing we can do now is not to waffle" in the middle of the (so-called) format wars.

Speaking about which, Iger believed that it was that format war, plus the high price point of the players, that was holding back Blu-ray's market performance, but he's willing to predict that those price points will come down by Christmas season. And the other thing he wants to note is that (as far as he can see) the format war really is confined to the US: "In other markets where next-gen DVD is starting to penetrate, Blu-ray is winning, and substantially; so much so there isn’t even a perceived format war."

One of the things High-Def noted of Iger was the guy's "aggressiveness" in the digital media market - example, being the first studio head to embrace iTunes. And now Blu-ray. Wonder if the "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" home video will be out in time for Christmas?

Yeah, we bet that you didn't have have too much fun with that Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End French trailer. So now, we have 10 new PS3 and Xbox 360 screens of the game and this time you need not be bilingual as they are just pure images, no French dialogues or captions here.

The game is inspired by both the upcoming film of the same title and last year's blockbuster hit Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Live and die by the sword is the name of the game and you have the choice of playing as Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann.

The game is scheduled for release on May 22 and would also be available on the Wii, PSP, PC, and Nintendo DS. Here be the PS3 and Xbox 360 screens of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

More screens after the jump.