The Beatles, Apple, MTV and Harmonix (creators of Rock Band) are collaborating to create a video game based on the music of Liverpool's Fab Four.

Image courtesy of Apple Corps Ltd

The game is designed to be an experiential progression through and celebration of the music of The Beatles. The game was creatively conceived with input from Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison. In addition, Giles Martin (son of Beatles producer George Martin) will serve as music producer for the project.

"The project is a fun idea which broadens the appeal of The Beatles and their music. I like people having the opportunity to get to know the music from the inside out," Sir Paul McCartney said.

"It gives me great pleasure to be part of The Beatles / Apple and Harmonix / Rock Band partnership,„ said Ringo Starr. ”The Beatles continue to evolve with the passing of time and how wonderful that The Beatles’ legacy will find its natural progression into the 21st century through the computerised world we live in. Let the games commence.„

”It’s cool. I love it and hope it will keep inspiring and encouraging the young generation for many decades,„ said Yoko Ono Lennon.

"People are having so much fun playing Rock Band. Combined with The Beatles tracks, it is a great way to either listen or participate,„ said Olivia Harrison. ”If you like the music, it doesn't take much persuasion to get you to play."

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blue, blue, red, green, green, blue, blue, yellow.

That's what you need to unlock all songs in Quickplay mode on the new Guitar Hero World Tour, according to Activision. To do so, just venture to the Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, or PS2 options menu, click on cheats, and then enter the above code. Doing so will grant immediate and permanent access to all 87 songs found in the game.

Rock on.

Blake Snow

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Xbox owners who've long envied Singstar for the Playstation will get their own karaoke game when Lips launches here late next month.

For $100 gamers will get 40 songs spanning genres and decades from artists including Beyoncé, Duffy, Nirvana, Cold Chisel, Queen, Radiohead and Rascal Flatts, and two wireless motion-sensitive microphones.

Game modes include the following

Kiss is the epitome of singing and flirting your way to a sweet reward, where duos who hit the notes and gestures together meet in the middle to share a kiss. Are you a match?

Vocal Fighters appeals to the competitor in all of us by pitting singers in one-on-one competition to win the most fans and boot one another off the stage. It’s a sing-off!

Time Bomb is a cooperative mode where players work together to perform well and stave off a time bomb. The clock is ticking!

Videos are also a big part of the game.

Music videos. ”Lips„ has a variety of engaging music videos that enhance the game outside the original videos included with most songs:

Virtual Music Videos. The more you get into your performance, the better the video. An in-game virtual music video will enhance your performance because the screen will mirror your moves and the characters will lip-sync along with you.

Custom Music Videos. These unique, quirky videos add a humorous element to your routine and provide a music video for songs that may not have one.

Freestyle Mode. ”Lips„ also enables you to use digital rights management-free songs from your own music collection when singing or playing any of the Party Games. Sing along to your music collection and play up your gestures to add to your score, while a virtual music video accompanies your performance. It is as simple as plugging in your compatible MP3 player. Lyrics will not display for songs from your music collection. For a list of compatible music players, visit http://www.xbox.com/lips.

Play along. In addition to using the two microphones as instruments, four of your friends can join in using the standard Xbox 360 Controller and choose from a variety of percussion accompaniment to play along with the music in ”Lips.„

Download new songs. For those who like what they see and crave more, ”Lips„ will also have a regular flow of downloadable content available for purchase via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace, starting at game launch. Love Estelle’s ”No Substitute Love„? It is there. You can get it and the latest tracks to continually update your ”Lips„ experience.

Split parts. Co-op Mode in ”Lips„ is designed to more accurately reflect songs that feature multiple vocalists. This gameplay mode enhances the experience by showing the lyrics and melody to all parts, helping turn a singing duo into a professional act.

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Microsoft delivered something for both gamers and developers at its keynote address that kicked-off the Tokyo Game Show.

The company is reworking the interface for its Xbox Live service, which is the largest social network of its kind with 14 million members. With the "New Xbox Experience" the Xbox 360's entire interface has been reworked and streamlined, specifically in regards to Xbox Live.

Perhaps taking a cue from PlayStation Home and the Nintendo's Miis, Xbox Live users will soon be able to create their own customisable avatar, which will be visible to friends and present throughout different areas of the interface. Everything from the dashboard, to gamer cards, to tracking friends, and themes has been reworked to make a more seamless and convenient interface.

Xbox Live's Marketplace has also been redone to match. Players will be able to view more detailed descriptions, screenshots, and information more easily for titles. This information will also be made available on the Web, so that users who are not at their Xbox 360 can still browse through the Xbox Live Marketplace for one stop shopping.

All these changes are scheduled to take place Nov. 19.

In the gaming space two of the most awaited titles, "Star Ocean: The Last Hope" and "The Last Remnant" were shown in trailer form but that didn't bother the audience because playable versions are on the show floor. They'll be out in the US on March 3, 2009, and Nov. 20 respectively.

Other games that were showcased included:

Biohazard 5 (Resident Evil 5) will launch in Japan on March 12, 2009.
Ninety-Nine Nights 2 for the 360, but with no release date.
Tekken 6 on XBox 360 to be released Spring 2009, and to include new online modes and features.
Halo Wars, early 2009.
Halo 3: Recon, late 2009.

While the Xbox 360 has an up and coming line-up, the Xbox Live Arcade is not to be forgotten. A "new wave" of games to hit XBLA include a slew of remade classics, such as Space Invaders Extreme, Arkanoid Live, Metal Slug 7, King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match, and R-Type: Dimensions.

Microsoft also had lead story writer Graeme Devine talk about and preview Halo Wars. Halo Wars takes the Halo franchise into the real-time strategy space and is set to take place 20 years before the events of Halo, when the Covenant are "at their most evil", according to Devine. Players will have control of the UNSC arsenal as they take on the Covenant and the Flood. Halo Wars is due out early 2009. Halo 3: Recon, which takes place before the events of Halo 3, is slated for a US release in late 2009.

Gina Maria Reams

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In Spring 2009, Bungie will release "Halo 3: Recon," which will serve as a prequel to the events in Halo 3.

The news was dropped during Microsoft's address at the Tokyo Game Show. Halo 3: Recon will put players in the boots of a UNSC recon soldier who will serve as a "new hero" for an all-new storyline and campaign.

The trailer footage shows a catastrophic explosion in a human city, the result of the Covenant's invasion of Earth. The camera then pans to show a group of heavily armoured Brutes, the ape-like Covenant aggressors featured prominently in Halo 3's storyline.

The game is being developed by Bungie, the newly independent studio responsible for the original Halo trilogy. Microsoft mentioned a Spring 2009 release date on the Xbox 360.

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A computer game partially controlled by brainwaves will be demonstrated at this week's Tokyo Game Show, the developers said today.

The game was produced by leading Japanese studio Square Enix and makes use of a brainwave-sensing headset from NeuroSky, a San Jose, California-based company that develops biometric sensors and similar products aimed at the consumer market.

While playing the game, which is a technical demonstration and not a finished product, a special headset will monitor the user's state of relaxation or concentration and based on this allow them to perform certain actions in the game, NeuroSky said in a statement.

There's no immediate word on if this might make it into a commercial game, but the demonstration to be shown on Thursday is based on a new game concept being jointly developed by the two companies, NeuroSky said.

Martyn Williams

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 3:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nintendo is refreshing its two-year old DS Lite handheld device with a new version that's thinner, has dual-digital cameras and will be out before the end of the year -- at least in Japan.

"I'd like to introduce to you the newest model in our Nintendo DS family, the Nintendo DSi," said Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo, to a packed crowd at the Nintendo Conference 2008 Fall held in Tokyo's Shibuya today.

The DS-i looks similar to the current DS Lite and is a little thinner because it doesn't have a slot for GameBoy Advance cartridges. The device's two screens are slightly larger at 3.25-inches instead of 3-inches and two digital cameras have been added. The outer camera has a 3-megapixel resolution and pictures can be stored on an SD Card for transfer to the company's Wii or a computer.

It will launch in Japan on Nov. 1 and will cost ¥18,900 ($270). That's slightly more expensive than the current DS Lite, which costs ¥16,800. Detailed launch plans for other markets were not detailed at the Tokyo news conference held to announce the device but Nintendo said it won't be available overseas until 2009.

Following in the steps of its Wii console and competing devices Nintendo will launch an online applications store for the DS-i.

"The pace of sales for the DS has slowed down compared to earlier periods, but the DS remains to be selling at a brisk pace compared to previously mainstream platforms," Iwata said.

The president was bullish on prospects for the DSi to succeed despite the fact DS has already sold close to 23 million units and critics have said the DS may have reached market saturation.

"We have succeeded in reaching markets that were untapped before," Iwata said.

Nintendo's recent internal data shows 54% of its DS platform users in Japan being female.

"If we can offer a new lifestyle through our mobile game product, I think the Nintendo DS platform can expect to continue to see growth," Iwata said.

By Yuriko Nagano and Martyn Williams

Posted by Ted Gibbons at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)