Hot on the heels of last weeks "Jesus Shot" video comes a second piece of PR magic publicising the release of the new Tiger Woods 2009 golf game. This time the world's greatest golfer manages the stunt without the aid of any special effects, it's just Tiger, a golf club and a Rubik's Cube. Check out the YouTube video below or here on Peter Moore's (the head of EA Sports) blog.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 is out today.

And here's that "Jesus Shot" video we mentioned.

Posted by Scott Bartley at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Electronic Arts Friday confirmed the upcoming release of Godfather 2, which promises open-world action and bird's eye strategy.

Similar to the first game, Godfather 2 features an original story using characters from the movie, with events unfolding in 1960s Florida, Cuba, and New York.

But rather than resting on its GTA-clone laurels, Electronic Arts is introducing an additional strategy element to the game called "The Don's View," which allows players to oversee the entire world from afar as they grow the family business.

"Running an organized crime family in a world defined by family loyalty is something that we felt could introduce a new strategic element to the genre," said executive producer Hunter Smith. "That is what the 'Don's View' is all about -- it's so unique, it could fundamentally change the rules of open-world games by blending action and strategy to create something entirely new."

The Godfather II is scheduled for release on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC next February.

Posted by Jan Birkeland at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

New Zealand’s computer gaming team the ‘eblacks’ has been named the best in Asia.

The eblacks took out a gold and silver medal at the World Cyber Games Asian Championship in Singapore - which earned them the grand prize, the Asian Championship Trophy for the Overall Winner.

Mason "massi4h" Maddox won gold competing on the Xbox 360 game, Guitar Hero III, beating competitors from countries such as Korea and Japan and winning US$1000 in prize money.

Lorance "Escobar" Taylor, Jeremy "jerm_nz" Macdonald, Slava "slavOuchka" Sheynin, Nick "Veteran-in-Love" Catley, David "Wytaliba" Ashwell won silver in the Defence of the Ancients - All Stars tournament, winning US$2000 in prize money.

”To be named the best team in the tournament is fantastic - especially as we were competing in Asia where professional gaming leagues have operated for years. The team has done New Zealand proud. This is New Zealand’s first gold medal for video gaming, and bodes well for 2009,„ says World Cyber Games New Zealand Strategic Partner, xLAN’s Susan Baikie.

The top 140 gamers from 14 countries in Asia Pacific competed at the World Cyber Games (WCG) Asian Championship on video game titles such as Guitar Hero III (Xbox 360) and FIFA 2008 (PC).

The eblacks will go on to compete at the World Cyber Games Grand Final in Cologne, Germany this November for a chance to win NZ$3.5m in prize money.

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 3:40 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Amid missed opportunity, the powers that be behind the unreleased Batman: The Dark Knight game aren't talking.

A game was being developed by Pandemic (to be published by Electronic Arts), leading up to the movie's July 18 release, but beyond that, all traces of the game have been "as concealed as Bruce Wayne in the Batsuit," writes the Associated Press.

Perhaps more disheartening is the fact that neither Warner Bros, Electronic Arts, or Pandemic are willing to comment, says the AP, leaving many fans to wonder if the possibility of a later release still exists.

Whatever the case, the lack of a game may have cost Warner, EA, and Pandemic US$100 million in lost revenues, estimates analyst Michael Pachter.

"I think publishers have concluded the only games that work are the surefire $500 million box office kind of games like 'Spider-Man' and 'Shrek,'" he told The Associated Press. "The 'Transformers' game really surprised people how well it did, but the movie was big. I don't think they expected 'The Dark Knight' movie to be this big."

By Blake Snow

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Rockstar Games today announced the staggered arrival of GTA IV on PC, as has been the case with every GTA game in the past.

"We are very excited to be releasing the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV," said Sam Houser, founder of Rockstar Games. "The game looks and plays beautifully on PC, and we can't wait for people to play it."

In addition to the already proven gameplay of PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, the PC port will feature a "newly expanded multiplayer" mode, said Rockstar. It is unclear what (if any) other additions will be made.

Regardless, PC players hoping to terrorize Liberty City will have their chance on November 18.

By GamePro staff

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

GamePro staff

Microsoft has provided a few more details on its new Xbox Live Avatar system, including how developers will be able to use them in-game, and how many avatars each Xbox 360 owner will be able to have on their consoles.

To make a long story short, Xbox Live GM Eric Kilgore said avatars will only be made available for in-game play on ESRB E10+ titles. And, unlike Nintendo's Mii system, the Microsoft avatars will be one per system, at least for now.

"We are still developing the final policies," he said, adding that "The final guide we have this year is to think of them in an 'E10' context. That doesn't mean it won't change - but this Spring they won't be able to blow each other's heads off," he said.

As for players having a collection of Avatars, a la the Wii, Kilgore said, "the answer is a mixed one. From a user profile perspective you have one avatar for one profile. You can change you avatar whenever you want but if you want a new avatar you need a new profile."

Kilgore also said the avatar process is a work in progress, with future changes possible after the initial release.

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )