The trailer is self-explanatory - you will be hooked just by watching it for a few seconds. I can guarantee you that myself! The game is scheduled for release later this year.

According to Strauss Zelnick from Take-Two the game is going to set new standard in interactive entertainment. The company are not resting on their laurels, but are looking to redefine the genre. The fourth Grand Theft Auto game is one of the most anticipated titles of the year and is scheduled for release October 16 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

At the press conference Take-Two did not mention Manhunt 2, which leaves its future unknown.

Christoph Hartmann of 2K says:

"This game transcends the boundaries of what has previously been achieved in the acclaimed Top Spin franchise by ensuring every detail is accurate, from the cloud cover to lighting, from sweat to dirt on clothing, to every drop shot, slice, lob and backhand."

It's 2K Sports' French studio PAM Development who works on the tennis sequel.

Kojima added that this game is going to be the finale to the Metal Gear series and said that although it was a stealth game, it would be built around different elements - such as using dynamic cover on the battlefield. According to several media the trailer shown at the press conference was very impressive.

Argh! Let it be 2008 quick!

The new console will come in a variety of versions - for example as a silver model as well as a Star Wars-themed one.

Sadly, no word yet on a price drop in Europe.

The game is scheduled for release this Christmas and four friends can play at the same time both offline and online over Live.

Microsoft has also announced the original Viva Piñata for PC. This will feature Windows Live support. A release date has not been given.

Here is the list:

Activision

• Bee Movie Game (Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PC, DS)
• Call of Duty (DS)
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
• Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, Wii, DS)
• Spider-Man: Friend or Foe (Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PC, PSP, DS)
• Tony Hawk's Proving Ground (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, DS)

• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (Wii, PS2)
• Godzilla: Unleashed (Wii, DS, PSP)
• Jenga (Wii)
• The Witcher (PC)

• TBA

• MotoGP 2007 (PS2)
• Devil May Cry 4 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Rocketmen: Axis of Evil (PC download, PSN, Xbox Live Arcade)
• Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (PC download, PSN, Xbox Live Arcade)
• Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (PC download, PSN, Xbox Live Arcade)
• Talisman (PC download, PSN, Xbox Live Arcade)

• Cliver Barker's Jericho (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• HEI$T (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Rise of the Argonauts (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Turning Point: Fall of Liberty (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

• Ben 10: Protector of Earth (Wii, PS2, PSP, NDS)
• Dark Sector (Xbox 360, PS3)
• Dead Head Fred (PSP)
• Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire (Wii)
• Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution (Wii)
• Naruto: Path of Ninja (DS)

• Age of Conan (PC, Xbox 360)
• Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

• Army of Two (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Boogie (Wii)
• Burnout Paradise (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Crysis (PC)
• EA Playground (Wii, DS)
• FIFA 08 (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PC, PSP, DS)
• Half-Life 2: The Orange Box (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Hellgate: London (PC)
• Madden NFL 08 (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PC, PSP, DS)
• Medal of Honor Airborne (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (PS3, Xbox 360)
• MySims (Wii, DS)
• NASCAR 08 (PS3, Xbox 360, PS2)
• Need For Speed: ProStreet (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PC, PSP, DS)
• Rock Band (PS3, Xbox 360)
• The Simpsons (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PSP, DS)
• Skate (PS3, Xbox 360)
• SimCity Societies (PC)
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PC)

• Dementium: The Ward (DS)
• Dungeon Hero (PC, Xbox 360)
• Fury (PC)
• Hail to the Chimp (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Mushroom Men (Wii, DS)
• Unannounced title (possibly Section 8)
• Unannounced title (TBC)

• "The next game in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series."

• Fishing Master (Wii)

• Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (PSP)
• Contra 4 (DS)
• Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party (Wii)
• Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA 2 (PS2)
• Dewy's Adventure Wii)
• Fishing Master (Wii)
• Hellboy: The Science of Evil (Xbox 360, PS3, PSP)
• Konami Kids Playground (PS2)
• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3)
• Silent Hill: Origins (PSP)

• TBA

• Blast Works: Build, Fuse & Destroy (Wii)
• Holly Hobbie & Friends (DS)
• Kengo: Legend of the 9 (Xbox 360)
• Nancy Drew and the Deadly Secret of Olde World Park (DS)
• Operation: Vietnam (DS)
• Turn It Around (DS)
• The Wild West (DS)
• Zoo Hospital (DS)

• Blue Dragon (Xbox 360)
• Halo 3 (Xbox 360)
• Lost Odyssey (Xbox 360)
• Mass Effect (Xbox 360)
• Project Gotham Racing 4 (Xbox 360)

• Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am (PS2)
• The Bee Game (Wii, DS)
• Blacksite (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Cruis'n (Wii)
• Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Imagination Invaders (DS)
• Game Party (Wii)
• Hour of Victory (PC)
• John Woo's Stranglehold (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar (PC)
• Ultimate Mortal Kombat (DS)
• Unreal Tournament 3 (PC)
• The Wheelman (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
• TNA iMPACT! (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2)

• TBA

• Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (Xbox 360)
• Beautiful Katamari (Xbox 360)
• Culdcept SAGA (Xbox 360)
• Digimon World: Dawn/Digimon World: Dusk (DS)
• Digimon World Data Squad (PS2)
• Dynasty Warriors: Gundam (PS3, Xbox 360)
• Eternal Sonata (Xbox 360)
• .hack//G.U. Vol. 3 Redemption (PS2)
• Namco Museum DS (DS)
• Namco Museum REMIX (Wii)
• Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes (PSP)
• Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2 (PS2)
• Smash Court Tennis 3 (PSP)
• Soul Calibur Legends (Wii)
• Space Station Tycoon (Wii)
• Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology (PSP)
• Time Crisis 4 (PS3)

• Aion (PC)
• Dungeon Runners (PC)
• Guild Wars: Eye of the North (PC)
• Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa (PC)

• Combat Mission: Shock Force (PC)
• Galactic Assault: Prisoner of Power (PC)
• Hearts of Iron Anthology (PC)
• Tarr Chronicles (PC)

• TBA

• Bleach: Shattered Blade (Wii)
• Bleach: The Blade of Fate (DS)
• The Club (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
• Condemned 2: Bloodshot (Xbox 360, PS3)
• Ghost Squad (Wii)
• The Golden Compass (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PC, PSP, DS)
• Iron Man (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PC, PSP, DS)
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympics (Wii, DS)
• NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (Wii)
• SEGA Rally (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, PSP)
• Sonic Rush Adventure (DS)
• Space Siege (PC)
• Universe At War: Earth Assault (Xbox 360, PC)
• Virtua Fighter 5 (Xbox 360)

• Crash of the Titans (Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PSP, DS, GBA)
• Empire Earth 3 (PC)
• Geometry Wars: Galaxies (Wii, DS)
• The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night (Wii)
• SWAT: Target Liberty (PSP)
• TimeShift (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Unannounced title (TBC)
• World in Conflict (PC)

• Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker (DS)
• Dragon Quest: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors (DS)
• Final Fantasy II Anniversary Edition (PSP)
• Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess (Xbox 360, PS2, PC)
• Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (DS)
• Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fate (DS)
• Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions (PSP)
• Front Mission (DS)
• Heroes of Mana (DS)

• Killzone 2 (PS3)

• TBA

• All-Pro Football 2K8 (PS3, Xbox 360)
• BioShock (PC, Xbox 360)
• The Darkness (PS3, Xbox 360)
• NBA 2K8 (PS3, Xbox 360)
• NHL 2K8 (PS3, Xbox 360, PS2)
• Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS)

• WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 (PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, DS)

• Assassin's Creed (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

• FEAR sequel (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

"Last year we said Xbox Live would grow to six million members. I'm happy to announce we've eclipsed the seven million mark.

Before next year's E3, we're forecasting we will cross the 10 million mark."

Xbox Live has a successful download section too. Xbox Live Arcade has reached 45 million game downloads to date - and it's expected that a total of 100 Xbox Live Arcade titles are available by the end of the year. Upcoming titles include Hexic 2, Sensible World of Soccer and War World.

Bizarre tells us that they plan to reveal all the motorbikes in new videos over the coming weeks - once they get a greenlight from publisher Microsoft.

The second new game is Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon. The story happens after Big Willy Unleashed and this game is announced for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 only. Here you'll once again play as protagonist Crypto in his mission to learn Kung Fu. Sounds like great fun! It's also scheduled for release early next year.

It's expected that both games will be filled with comedy - continuing the tradition from the first two games on PS2 and Xbox.

Craig Allen, CEO of Spark Unlimited, reveals that the game is their dream game that they've secretly been working on. He continues:

"We've made a name for ourselves with World War II first-person shooters, but Legendary: The Box is our labour of love. It's a thrill to work with Gamecock; they want to see the game completed exactly as we envisioned it."

Spark Unlimited is also collaborating with Codemasters on the upcoming Turning Point: Fall of Liberty - a game scheduled for release before the end of this year.

Judging by the logo which is being used by Free Radical it's in fact a spoof of Gears of War. The Gears of War logo also has a monkey on it.

Stay tuned for more information in the future!

The map pack called Black Pack was actually meant to be free of charge. It includes a different version of "Streets", a "PRESIDIO" from Rainbow Six III and three new maps.

Ubisoft writes in a statement on their official blogs:

"Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas Black Pack Downloadable Content for Xbox 360 Live was originally intended to be free content for the fans of Rainbow Six Vegas. We apologise for the error. All players who purchased the Black Pack will be reimbursed automatically. The Black Pack will be posted Saturday June 30th and will be free of charge. Also, as a token of our appreciation for the Rainbow Six community, we are making the Red Pack free as of Friday July 6th as well. Thanks for playing and we hope you enjoy this free content."

According to Microsoft players who have puchased the Black Pack for MS points will get their money back within 8 to 10 weeks.

Yeah, yeah, Anthrax is included in the bunch:

• Caught in a Mosh - Anthrax
• Balls to the Wall - Accept
• Electric Eye - Judas Priest
• Los Angeles - X
• Police Truck - Dead Kennedys
• We Got the Beat - The Go Go's
• (I Think I'm) Turning Japanese - Vapors
• Seventeen - Winger
• Because, it's Midnite - Limozeen
• Hold On Loosely - .38 Special
• No One Like You - Scorpions
• Only a Lad - Oingo Boingo
• Ballroom Blitz - Krokus
• The Warrior - Scandal
• What I Like About You - The Romantics
• Wrath Child - Iron Maiden
• I Wanna Rock - Twisted Sister
• I Ran - Flock of Seagulls
• Round and Round - Ratt
• Metal Health - Quiet Riot
• Holy Diver - Dio
• Heat Of The Moment - Asia
• Radar Love - White Lion
• 18 and Life - Skid Row
• Bathroom Wall - Faster Pussycat
• Lonely is the Night - Billy Squier
• Nothing But a Good Time - Poison
• Play With Me - Extreme
• Shaken - Eddie Money
• Synchronicity II - The Police

But we have to ask ourselves: For crying out loud, where is Jason Donovan?

We also get some glimpses of aspects in the game we've never seen before in the franchise. Like kicking in a door, shattering the lock and the real treat: watching from inside a car as bullets hit the windscreen and leave holes in specific places. Now this is going to be real eye candy!

Expect GTA IV to hit the stores on PS3 and Xbox 360 19th October in Europe!

Jeff Croft of Micromart says:

"We were seeing about 30 a week before we pulled the plug on the service. We saw it over a period of several months and it was just getting worse. It began towards the end of last year. Once the twelve month warranty finished then we started to see more and more machines being sent in to be looked at.

The problem with three red lights was there fairly regularly, but over two or three months it became a real issue. The work we had done to the console lead us to believe that basically it was a fault with the motherboard and not something that could be resolved easily. And it wasn't going to go away.

Therefore Micromart pulled the service after discovering problems with the motherboard itself. Repairing the console wasn't even financially realistic.

Mr. Croft continues:

"Rather than lead customers up the garden path we'd walk away from it and tell them to go directly to Microsoft because they have the facility to replace the motherboard. If Microsoft has updated the motherboard for the new consoles that it's producing then presumably they've improved the existing model.

We're not taking that thing on board; we won't repair them. We originally did some work with it but it's labour intensive and it isn't really a feasible repair for us to undertake. We would probably end up charging GBP 100 for a repair and we still wouldn't be happy with the end result."

I have had problems with the console too and my console was replaced earlier this year, though I still think it's the best console on the market right now - based on the available games and Xbox Live. Let's see what Microsoft's next move is going to be.

200 of the 380 titles will be released boxed for retail, while about 180 games will be made available through the PlayStation Network.

The latest Japanese hardware sales report shows that the PlayStation 3 sold 8,776 units for the week ended June 10 - not much compared to impressive 64,529 units of Nintendo's Wii.

Rockstar Games writes:

"We are disappointed with the recent decision by the British Board of Film Classification to refuse classification of Manhunt 2. While we respect the authority of the classification board and will abide by the rules, we emphatically disagree with this particular decision.

"Manhunt 2 is an entertainment experience for fans of psychological thrillers and horror. The subject matter of this game is in line with other mainstream entertainment choices for adult consumers."

The reason for the banning is of course that the game is filled with violence, gore and murder. The ratings board would not give Manhunt 2 a rating because by issuing a certificate "would involve a range of unjustifiable risks, to both adults and minors".

The statement from Rockstar Games continues:

"We respect those who have different opinions about the horror genre and videogames as a whole, but we hope they will also consider the opinions of the adult gamers for whom this product is intended.

We believe all products should be rated to allow the public to make informed choices about the media and art they wish to consume.

The stories in modern videogames are as diverse as the stories in books, film and television. The adult consumers who would play this game fully understand that it is fictional interactive entertainment and nothing more."

The game was scheduled for release in July for PlayStation 2, PSP and Wii until Rockstar Games postponed the game.

The release date for Europe, including countries like the UK and Denmark, is 19th October and the Special Edition would also arrive at this point. The release of GTA IV will also have a beneficial impact on the sales of PlayStation 3, according to Take-Two's CEO Ben Feder.

I have just recently bought a PS3 and GTA IV is of course a must have when it's released this autumn. A new trailer will also arrive June 28. It's called "Looking for that special someone".

The demo includes the PC-exclusive map Calavera in Recon vs. Assault and Team Deathmatch. If you own a PC and have been waiting a long time for the tactical squad-based shooter for your platform, you will get a map editor, a new multiplayer mode and a more tactical experience, according to the developers.

The game is released on 29th June.

Hufford has made an official statement on a Microsoft blog:

"Some are getting really spun up about the Bloomberg story and inaccurately reading tea leaves that don't exist.

The comment, which is accurately reported, unfortunately has now been taken way out of context and being reported as if I am signalling a price drop. I was not, I am not.

With Xbox 360s selling well at their current price point, Elites selling out at $479, and an insanely great portfolio of games in the market, there's no reason to announce any kind of price drop anytime soon."

There's no doubt about the fact that Microsoft should take advantage of the current market conditions. With PlayStation 3 priced so highly and Nintendo using diffent ways of gaming, Microsoft has to appeal to all gamers by lowering the price tag of Xbox 360.

Tony Key of Ubisoft says:

"Assassin's Creed is going to be a huge launch for Ubisoft this year along with the added prestige of being the start of this exciting new franchise that is bringing something completely new to the market.

"We're confident that Assassin's Creed will exceed expectations as a 'must-have' title this holiday season and will achieve both critical and commercial success."

In the game we meet the assassin Altair who parkours his way over the rooftops of 12th century buildings trying to avoid getting caught and of course assassin things. The setup sounds like a blend of Hitman, Thief and games similar to Splinter Cell. Wuuuhuuu, can't wait!

The publisher will rely on sales from strong games such as Devil May Cry 4, Devil Kings 2 Heroes, The Umbrella Chronicles and Resident Evil 4.

On the positive side there are six titles heading for PC, Wii and Xbox 360 while PS3 trail behind with only five. YEAH!

The Xbox 360 demo includes the first three training chapters, bot and online multiplay, the Power Station level, Elf and Human races, four types of magic, three types of tech, and six weapons including the katana.

The game was released last week and is an online multiplayer game derived from the pen-and-paper RPG series of the same name. One of the primary features is the possibility for PC and Xbox 360 owners to play against each other on the same servers. Download the demo now. It's definitely worth trying before buying!

The rumours come from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board website where the game has been listed for Microsoft's console. It suggests that four different missions - or maps - will be released - probably through Live Marketplace as add-ons for Tomb Raider: Legend.

No release date has been given yet and Eidos has yet to confirm the Xbox 360 version of the anniversary. The game is out now on PC and PlayStation 2 nonetheless. Try it out!