Re-Cap of Yesterdays News (oldest to newest)

• Red Orchestra 2 will allow the player to play the single player campaign as the Nazis, and the Russians. http://tinyurl.com/d7suej

• It is rumored that Apple is Eying up EA for a takeover. all that is known so far is it's just "chatter" http://tinyurl.com/dxa54f

• Bioshock 3 could still be set in Rapture. could also allow more decision making in the game. http://tinyurl.com/cewpgc

• 360: Fallout 3 DLC Broken Steel has gone live. you can get it for 800 MS Points. http://tinyurl.com/dmxaao

• Days of Thunder and Top Gun are now also heading to XBLA and PSN (its on the iphone already.) http://tinyurl.com/cqtuug

• 360: Screens of the new Warriors XBLA game are out. hit the link to see them. (the game is not made by Rockstar) http://tinyurl.com/dcu8jt

• Final Fantasy XIII will be out in Europe within 12 Months of the Japanese release, Says XIII Producer Kitase. http://tinyurl.com/dg7md8

• It is rumored that Prototype's release may be pushed back to June 23rd to get better sales. http://tinyurl.com/dmj9qm

• PS3: it is rumored that Sony will use the Skype service to enable party chats, cross game chats and more. http://tinyurl.com/dmj9qm

• Those who play Gran Tourismo and/or watch Top Gear are more likely to break the speed limit says UK CIS survey. http://tinyurl.com/c5zewu

• PC: Fallout 3 DLC Broken Steel appears to have PC issues. 360 version appears fine this time round. http://tinyurl.com/c8rga6

• Marvel Vs Capcom 2 could come out the week of 29th June, says Marvel Entertainment financial results. http://tinyurl.com/cps7y6

• 360: 1 Vs 100 Beta now live in Canada. it runs from May 8th to May 24th. beta specific prizes are on offer. http://tinyurl.com/cl2bna

• The Rickenbacker 325 and Gretsch Duo Jet Guitars will be available for £89.99 when Beatles Rock band is released. http://tinyurl.com/cyok3j

• A UK retailer had listed a Ghostbusters Demo with a Ghostbusters Blu-ray. A US PR person dismissed this though. http://tinyurl.com/cebfo3

• Fallout 3 Dev's Bethesda say the Broken Steel DLC error is a Games For Windows Problem. Microsoft working on fix. http://tinyurl.com/cdtenk

• Ex Free Radical, Now Crytek UK Devs now working "...on things that they have always dreamed to do..." http://tinyurl.com/dy23bh

• Empire Interactive has gone into administration. it's intellectual rights have been sold to US based New World IP http://tinyurl.com/cgfygj

• Marvel Vs Capcom 2 does not mean Marvel Vs Capcom 3 will be made. licensing issues the main stumbling block.http://tinyurl.com/d79g9p

• The Complete Alternative Costume pack for Street Fighter IV is now on XBL for 1000MS Points, PSN up later today. http://tinyurl.com/deavbw

• PS3: it is rumored that there will be Ton's of God Of War III footage at E3 and also Motion Controls coming soon. http://tinyurl.com/c7c8v9

• RT @GarnettLee: "Headed to SFO for the hop to LA. Can't wait to see, wait, that's right. We have twitter embargoes now" lol

• Sega has announced some of its E3 games. Alpha Protocol, Bayonetta, Planet 51, The Conduit, Vancouver 2010 + more http://tinyurl.com/czplnc

• 360: Konami is working on a 360 Exclusive set for a Japan release. no more is known as yet. http://tinyurl.com/cwo8s7

• Call Of Duty World At War Map Pack 1 has sold 2 million world wide. http://tinyurl.com/c6rmxc

• PS3: Puzzle Quest Galactrix is hitting the PSN on Thursday. no word yet if it's UK PSN or price. http://tinyurl.com/d6ubvk

• PS3: Killzone 2 has sold 1.5 Million copies world wide. First week Japan sales were 42,600. http://tinyurl.com/df3v5c

• 360: Motion sensing add-on is thought to be a result of the purchase of 3DV, who worked on something similar. http://tinyurl.com/dzp2h4

• Capcom have said that they will fix some of the game breaking bugs in Marvel Vs Capom 2. http://tinyurl.com/cgjfhw

• QTE Blog: Updated the Monster Hunter Freedom Unite PSP Bundle to have correct PSP Bundle Picture. http://tinyurl.com/cn5rk4

• PSP: Q&A Vid for SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3 now live. hit the link to watch the vid. http://tinyurl.com/cdfhe8

• Red Steel 2 trailer was pre-production and internal only. Ubisoft won't talk about Playstation at end of the vid. http://tinyurl.com/c3aebt

• Bayonetta Dev releases Prototype footage of the game after only 1 month development. http://tinyurl.com/d9os7u

FIFA 09 Interactive World Champion 2009 Is Bruce Grannec from France - SCEE Press Release

Bruce Grannec from France today (Saturday, 2 May) won the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2009 Grand Final in Barcelona and thus became the FIFA Interactive World Champion 2009. The world’s 32 best virtual footballers came face to face at Port Olympic in Barcelona, Spain to compete in the Grand Final as another incredibly exciting virtual football season came to an end.

Following a day of extreme skill and tactics on EA SPORTS™ FIFA09 on PLAYSTATION®3, Bruce Grannec beat the charismatic Mexican Ruben Zerecero 3:1 in a typically enthralling final in front of a packed crowd next to the beach at Port Olympic. In addition to being crowned FIWC09 Champion, the 22 year old Frenchman also received USD 20,000 and an all new KIA Soul car. He will also receive his FIFA Diploma at the next FIFA World Player Gala, where he will rub shoulders with the best real-life footballers in the world. "I am very proud of this victory", said a delighted Bruce Grannec after the final he deservedly won. "It pays back hours and hours of practice which prepared me to compete on such a big stage. It proves that, if you work hard, you will have success."

"FIFA recognises the best in football, today we are recognising the best virtual football players", said FIFA Executive Committee member Chuck Blazer. "I was pleased to see the passion and the outstanding technical skills shown by the 32 competitors, who made their way to the final out of an incredible number of more than 500.000 online participants. The sun, the side events and the beautiful location made this Grand Final a fantastic FIFA football event."

The Grand Final provided players with the opportunity to perform on the biggest stage of their lives in front of 8,000 spectators, who enjoyed the entertainment that the world’s largest football gaming tournament provides.

"Congratulations to Bruce who managed to become the FIWC 09 World Champion out of over 500,000 qualifiers which is amazing ," said Matt Bilbey, Vice President International Marketing, EA SPORTS. "With the fantastic increase in the number of participants, the FIWC 09 was a great success for everybody involved. We’re looking forward to expanding the tournament in the upcoming years, especially with the FIFA World Cup 2010 happening next year in South Africa."

"The finals in Barcelona have been a fitting finale, for what has been a truly remarkable competition", said Darren Carter, Vice President Consumer Marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. "We offer our warmest congratulations to this year’s winner Bruce Grannec, who by coming out on top over half a million competitors, showed great skill and an unbreakable determination along the way. These are the characteristics that make the FIFA Interactive World Cup so special and we look forward to continuing our association with this wonderful competition next year."

Other entertainment on display included an exclusive performance by football trickster John Farnworth and a demonstration of komball (a freestyle football show), while spectators were also able to take part in the mini beach soccer tournament that was being run by Spain’s beach soccer star and FIFA Beach Soccer World Player 2008 Ramiro Amarelle. The gaming and entertainment lounges remained busy throughout the day as the public enjoyed experiencing EA SPORTS’s latest gaming titles and PlayStation’s latest next-generation entertainment products.

After seven months of qualification with over 500,000 players having competed in the online qualification and with 19 live qualifier events having been held at locations around the globe, including New Zealand, South Africa, Denmark, Brazil and India, the Grand Final marked the end of the fifth and most successful FIFA Interactive World Cup to date.

Re-Cap of Yesterdays News (oldest to newest)

so much for a bank holiday. yesterday was very very busy in terms of news.

• Thief IV is set to be unveiled on May 11th, according to the latest edge magazine. http://tinyurl.com/c3wsdn

• PS3: ESRB have rated five more PS1 titles, expect some Spyro, Street Fighter and Wipeout. http://tinyurl.com/djakqn

• The Debut Trailer for Army Of Two 40th Day is now live. hit the link for a Video. http://tinyurl.com/deujcn

• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow Of Chernobyl Could be heading to consoles. very little is known at present. http://tinyurl.com/d63nmc

• Wii: Monster Hunter 3 has appeared on Capcom's N.America press page. no official announcement of USa release yet. http://tinyurl.com/dykf3r

• PS3: Xi in Home gets more interesting as Veilcorp announce that it belongs to them. they are hiring in USA tho. http://tinyurl.com/cy72af

• PS3: A site for The Agency has gone live. theres a smoking gun and "the online world is about to explode." http://tinyurl.com/d9lmht

• PS3: Home Q&A now online. goes indepth over some things like Home Trophy Rooms. http://tinyurl.com/dhx8ds

• 360: there will be a price cut in Japan of 30% for the 360. no word on when the price cut starts. http://tinyurl.com/cpd5wo

• 360:This Wednesday sees on XBLA Zombie Wranglers, Arkanoid ans Space INvaders Extreme.They are all 800MS Points. http://tinyurl.com/d35o6s

• iPhone: Myst is out on the iphone. it comes in at 700mb and costs $6. there are improvements but original art. http://tinyurl.com/dh489s

• PS3: Gunstar Hero's has been rated by PEGI and ESRB for the PS3. most likely a PSN game. not a XBLA exclusive. http://tinyurl.com/d4xdxh

• Wheelman gets DLC. out now on 360, Thursday on PS3. http://tinyurl.com/c2u9vr

• King Of Fighters XII will have online modes,Clan Support, lobbies, and the ability to watch other online matches. http://tinyurl.com/dyfzze

• PS3: Uncharted 2 will get DLC, There are different locales, and maybe different sidekicks. http://tinyurl.com/c679dw

• Fight Night Round 4 to feature 50 fighters. more could come via DLC. http://tinyurl.com/ddyd7x

• PS3: Killzone 2 offers it's American Players to play against the Developers, 10AM Pacific on the new DLC. http://tinyurl.com/cgd85p

• Capcom is set to release 20-40 PS1 and PSP games via the PSN over the next several months. http://tinyurl.com/c2ybrq

• 50 Cent has said he would like to make another game. he is hoping to make a sequel to Blood On The Sand. http://tinyurl.com/djebbb

• EA Redwood, the studio behind Dead Space and upcoming Dante's Inferno, has changed its name to Visceral Games. http://tinyurl.com/dlzegt

• Star Trek D.A.C trailer is out now. hit the link for the video. (spoiler, it has some footage from the movie) http://tinyurl.com/cdfjyj

• PS3: MAG Q&A Video released 12 minutes long. announcement of a Live chat on Wednesday 2PM Pacific, 5pm Eastern. http://tinyurl.com/co4yqc

• Wii: the first Red Steel 2 trailer is now live. hit the link for the Vid. http://tinyurl.com/ccafcz

Re-Cap of Yesterdays News (oldest to newest)

• PS3: inFamous street date has been reportedly broken at a couple of locations in USA. http://tinyurl.com/cm7wpl

• It is rumored the next call of duty will be set in Vietnam. Activision is after Cuban/Soviet and Vietnam music. http://tinyurl.com/car2qa

• PS3: Stage Set announced for Home. it is a Machinima Utility. hit the link for a video. http://tinyurl.com/c2hm8q

• PSP: Hudon have announced Linbarrels of Iron for the PSP. its an adaptation of Japanese Manga and Anime. http://tinyurl.com/c9as5n

• Pokemon Silver and Gold are expected to be Remade. a official announcement will be made on May 10th. http://tinyurl.com/dlx6wf

What Have You Played This Week?

A impressive week where i managed to finish 2 games and get into level 7 on PS3 trophies.

Killzone 2 – PS3 – Still trying to get some badges, nearly got the C4 badge. But played a lot of the new maps. I like them, they are quite different from those which came with the game. But i've found it hard to find a game with full 32 people on a map. Still managed to get all the trophies which was nice.

Football Manager 09 – PC – things going much better in league 1 than I thought, i'm challenging for a playoff position! wish this was on the ps3, I bet it would run faster. The more years you play, the slower it gets.

Mirrors Edge – PS3 – I noticed that I hadn't finished this game and thought i'd try. I did, but it took me longer than I thought. I wasn't good at the combat and felt it was not needed but still loved the free running. I admit to not giving much concern to the story, lol. The time trails are fun, but get very competitive very quickly, I found myself restarting levels if I hadn't done it right. The speed runs of the levels were not that fun due to the enemies still being there.

Motorstorm: Pacific Rift – PS3 – a game I like to come back to and play a little. Its very graphically impressive, the the tracks are very diverse. It maybe a little difficult perhaps too soon, but it is fun to go back and keep on trying.

Ratchet and Clank: Quest For Booty – PS3 – a lot of fun in the end. a couple of moments felt artificially too long, and in the end it didn't take me too long to complete the game. After two sessions it was all over, and there's not really any push to play through it again. At the sale price, it was perhaps right but at it's current price some may think it's too short.

Fat Princess – PS3 – i'll risk getting in trouble by saying i'm playing this game. It's great fun, and the different classes are very well balanced. Graphics are stylised but good. Had a few games which ended up being a stalemate which is a little worrying, and more than a few issues with connections/servers and lag. But it is a Beta, and defiantly a must buy when it comes out.

Feel free to comment on anything i've played and what you yourself has played over the last week.

Re-Cap of Yesterdays News (oldest to newest)

• 360: Velvet Assassin has a dashboard image on the review copy. no word if this is happening with all new games. http://tinyurl.com/csgcw3

• Analyst Pachter predicts Wii HD "upgrade" for 2010, whilst a new Playstation and Xbox will be in 2013. http://tinyurl.com/dzfnlt

• Wii: Horror Game Feel, by Japanese horror director of the Grudge, looks loosely based on The Grudge. hit for vid. http://tinyurl.com/clypsw

• A Survey asks whether people would like a karma system (or Good vs Evil system) in the next Grand Theft Auto. http://tinyurl.com/dmgjwh

• Patent by Epic hints at game called Nano.Strike and unusual faceplate's for consoles. maybe Kill.Switch sequel http://tinyurl.com/clf9yt

• Wii: Red Steel 2 details emerge. No Multiplayer on disc, could be DLC. side quests, collectibles, and lots more. http://tinyurl.com/csjfkp

• Wii: after a year with no Pikmin 3 information, next months edge magazine may have some exclusive information. http://tinyurl.com/dfjyof

• PS3: it's rumored after may 5th, when Fallout 3 DLC exclusivity ends, the PS3 version could be getting some DLC. http://tinyurl.com/c8cfua

Re-Cap of Yesterdays News (oldest to newest)

• 360: a achievement list for Guitar Hero Van Halen emerged, making the game less a rumor. http://tinyurl.com/dm329m

• PS3: Detuned has been announced. listen to music and manipulate your character and the surroundings. http://tinyurl.com/cqlph2

• Borderlands have released some new pictures showing a art style that looks distinctively cel shaded. http://tinyurl.com/dnmzut

• PS3: it is rumored that Sony will show their motion controller at E3. its more accurate than the Wii mote. http://tinyurl.com/dlxkpo

• DSi: Iwata has confirmed that the Wii video service can transfer to the DSi. Link has videos detailing it. http://tinyurl.com/dkfqef

• Square Enix has teased a new game. theres one picture, and a quote from J.F Kennedy. it may be Front Mission? http://tinyurl.com/dnjhal

• a new Call Of Duty World At War Map Pack is coming. set for release in June. includes 3 new maps and zombie map. http://tinyurl.com/djk6lo

• PS3: inFamous Demo set to hit on May 21st. no further details about the Demo known. http://tinyurl.com/dasdhm

• 360: its rumoured the 360 is getting a motion sensing bar add on. it detects full body motion and much more. http://tinyurl.com/cb69p8

• PS3: More detailed on DeRuned announced. it's another demoscene game like Linger in Shadows. pictures in link http://tinyurl.com/cbngnz

• 360:Teenage Ninja Turtles Turtles In Time remake is currently in development for XBLA. could hit PSN and Wiiware. http://tinyurl.com/cvqklp

• 360: More evidence has emerged of Perfect Dark coming to XBLA, from the same event where Forza 3 was spotted. http://tinyurl.com/cvqklp

• PSP:PSP Go! rumor, will use Memory Stick HG-Micro or something similar.Offers faster transfer rates than pro duo. http://tinyurl.com/cvqklp

• Many online retailers have a listing for the Fallout 3 Broken steel expansion and Point Look. no word what it is. http://tinyurl.com/cvqklp

• PS3: New User Avatars have finally been confirmed. should be available within the next month. http://tinyurl.com/cvqklp

• a video is out showing how the three filters in Marvel Vs Capcom 2 work and what the game looks like. http://tinyurl.com/cvqklp

• 360: Space Invaders Extreme is hitting the XBLA on Wednesday for 800 MS points. http://tinyurl.com/cvqklp

• PS3: ThatGameCompany's Jenova Chen has teased on Twitter that they have had a play test of thier new game. http://tinyurl.com/cvqklp

• PS3: Need For Speed Undercover has been updated with a trophy patch. the trophies work retroactively. http://tinyurl.com/cvqklp